Bill Gates Comment on White House crypto proposal (fwd)

["Z.B." <zachb@netcom.com>]

[This just came over the fight-censorship list.]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 1996 11:20:47 +0000
From: Jim Rapp <InfoCker@postoffice.worldnet.att.net>
To: declan@well.com
Subject: Bill Gates Comment on Crypto


Posted at 11:03 AM PT, Oct 9, 1996

NEW YORK -- Microsoft Corp. Chairman and CEO Bill Gates pitched the
Windows NT operating system here Wednesday as more similar to Unix than
different during a keynote address at Unix Expo. 

Gates also used his time on stage in the packed auditorium to comment on
the encryption battle which U.S. companies are currently fighting with the
federal government. The "U.S. government is making it fairly difficult for
companies like Microsoft who want to use strong cryptographic techniques,"
Gates said. 

Two weeks ago, the Clinton administration announced that U.S. companies
would be allowed to export products encrypted with a 56-bit key, up from
the 40-bit-based key currently permitted, but Gates characterized this
improvement as "tiny." A 56-bit key "is not nearly good enough," Gates
said. 

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