GILC Campaign to remove crypto restrictions from Wassenaar Arrangement

[Robert Hettinga <rah@shipwright.com>]

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Date:         Fri, 18 Sep 1998 04:41:24 -0500
Reply-To: Digital Signature discussion <DIGSIG@LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU>
Sender: Digital Signature discussion <DIGSIG@LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU>
From: Richard Hornbeck <rhornbec@COUNSEL.COM>
Subject:      GILC Campaign to remove crypto restrictions from Wassenaar
              Arrangement
To: DIGSIG@LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU

The following excerpt from the Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC) Web
page http://www.efa.org.au/wassenaar/support/
briefly describes its recent issuance of a statement calling for the removal
of cryptography export restrictions from the Wassenaar Arrangement. Further
background information on this international Arrangement, and on the
considerable international support for this statement can be found at
Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA)'s Web Site. Dr. Michael Baker of EFA is
the primary author and original sponsor for the GILC statement. Further
information is also available at the Wassenaar organization's Web site,
http://www.wassenaar.org/

In principle, Wassenaar is the international version of those regulations
that currently place restrictions on exporting strong crypto outside the
U.S. All of the 33 member countries agree to abide by a set of standards for
exporting encryption products from their countries, for the benefit or
preventing terrorism, making international law enforcement's job easier,
etc.

Individuals subscribing to this list may wish to review this material, and
add their organization or association's support to this important campaign.
It is timed to coincide with the current round of Wassenaar talks in Vienna
that begin this month, and continue through November.

Richard Hornbeck
==============================================================

The major impediment to the wide spread adoption of cryptography, to protect
vital infrastructures from attack
and electronic commerce from fraud, has been controls on the export of
cryptography. The only international
agreement on the export of cryptography is the Wassenaar Arrangement, which
wrongly classes encryption as
a dual-use technology (one that could be used for offensive purposes).

On 15th September 1998 Members of the Global Internet Liberty Campaign
issued a statement calling for the
removal of cryptography export restrictions from the Wassenaar Arrangement.

Since then companies and associations have been expressing their support for
the statement.

If your company or association wishes to "sign" the following support
statement:

     "We, the undersigned companies and associations support the Global
Internet Liberty Campaign
     Member Statement of 15th September 1998 calling for the removal of
cryptography export restrictions
     from the Wassenaar Arrangement."

please write to <signon@efa.org.au> giving your company or association name,
web address and country.

--- end forwarded text


-----------------
Robert A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@philodox.com>
Philodox Financial Technology Evangelism <http://www.philodox.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'