Re: House National Security committee guts SAFE, worse than no bill

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

On Tue, 9 Sep 1997, Brock N. Meeks wrote:

> Gore didn't say shit.  Sorry but there is no polite way to say this.  
> Gore's remarks at the SPA speech were a great example of "state speak" 
> which the State Dept. has perfected, saying much and in "code" through 
> the use of phrasing and even tone.


Let's look at what Gore did say:

>    WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuter) - With the FBI floating a proposal to
>regulate the domestic use of computer encoding technology, Vice President
>Al Gore asserted Tuesday the administration had not changed its policy 
that
> allows free use within the United States.
>   "The administration's decision has not changed on encryption, but this
>is an area where we need to find ways to work together to balance the
>legitimate needs of law enforcement with the needs of the marketplace,"
>Gore told a meeting of the Software Publishers Association in Washington.

I agree it's word games, but that's hardly a surprise. Especially since
Gore's denial seems a bit too narrow. What about the administration's
policy on free //distribution// of encryption? That's what Louis Freeh
wants to ban, as an initial move. 

-Declan