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ITAR / S 1726 / Civil Disobedience
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing to express my disapproval of the Clinton Administration's
position on the ITAR restrictions for encryption software. This is an
important issue to me.
1) Software is writing, so it is protected by the first amendment,
so the ITAR is unconstitutional. The idea that only paper books
are first amendment protected, and electronic books are not, is just
plain wrong.
2) The ITAR does not help National Security, but in fact greatly reduces
our nations security because the Internet, and the computers and
information connected to it, are kept from using good Encryption.
3) I feel that encryption is very important for doing commerce on the
Internet, and that commerce on the Internet is important for our
economy (Internet is the fastest growing sizable segment). You say
you like the "Information Super Highway" and you are "going to focus
on the economy like a laser". You should be removing the ITAR
restrictions on American businesses. Otherwise the business for
commerce software will go to companies in other countries.
4) The Clinton Clipper III proposal to have government key escrow
is not acceptable. Also, it will never work, since people will
always be able to buy and use software from the rest of the world.
This proposal is just slowing down Internet progress. Please
cancel Clipper III.
4) I really don't want to vote for a president who would continue this
type of regulation of the Internet. The Republican candidate
Bob Dole and the Libertarian candidate Harry Browne support
Senator Burns Pro-CODE bill S 1726 that would end this foolishness.
The current law, (see http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/22/2778.html),
says that "The President shall periodically review the items on
the United States Munitions List to determine what items, if any,
no longer warrant export controls under this section. The results
of such reviews shall be reported to the Speaker of the House [...]
at least 30 days before any item is removed from the Munitions
List [...]."
It seems either of your two rivals would, if president, end the
control of software. Will we have to elect one of them president
to remove software from the Munitions list?
5) As an act of civil disobedience I have personally exported an
encryption program (it is 3 lines of writing) using the web page at
http://online.offshore.com.ai/arms-trafficker/
Yours sincerely,
Cypherpunks
[email protected]
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