URGENT: Please Tell Congress to Allow Encryption Export

[corpuz@internex.net (Chris Corpuz)]

        House Intelligence Committee holds key to Crypto Export
         ask@eff.org     June 9, 1994      *DISTRIBUTE WIDELY*

Today, the U.S. State Department controls the export of most
encryption, working closely with the National Security Agency (NSA) to
limit products that provide real privacy, from cell-phones to PC
software.  A bill introduced by Rep. Maria Cantwell would instead give
authority over non-military crypto exports to the Commerce Department.
Commerce has much more reasonable regulations, with "First
Amendment"-style unlimited publishing of publicly available software,
including PGP, Kerberos, RIPEM, RSAREF, and mass-market commercial
software.  The bill also prevents the Commerce Dept. from tightening
the regulations even if NSA somehow gets its tentacles into Commerce.

A few months ago, you-all sent over 5600 messages to Rep. Cantwell in
support of her bill, H.R. 3627.  As a result, on May 18, the bill
passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee by being incorporated into
the Export Administration Act of 1994, H.R. 3937.

Now the battle has become more intense.  This portion of H.R. 3937 has
been referred to the House Intelligence Committee with the intent to
kill or severely maim it.  We need your help again, to urge the
Intelligence Committee to keep crypto export liberalization intact.

The House and Senate Intelligence Committees, the only watchdogs for
the NSA, tend to follow the agency's wishes when they wave the magic
"national security" wand.  They need plenty of input from the public
that tells them that the nation will be *more* secure with good
encryption, even though the NSA will be less happy.

Not just computer users, but all users of telephones, cable TV, health
care, and credit information systems would benefit from this change.
The security of these applications is built on the foundation laid by
the operating systems and network protocols on which they run.  If
this bill is passed, you will see high quality encryption built into
Microsoft Windows, into the MacOS, into major Unix workstations, into
the Internet, into cellular phones, into interactive television.  The
software already exists for confidentiality, privacy, and security of
local and networked information, but it's not built-in to these
systems because of the export ban.  Today, each company could build
two operating systems, one gutted for international use, but this
would be costly and confusing for them and their customers, and would
not allow international networks such as the Internet or telephones to
be made secure and private.  With this bill, these limits disappear.

Furthermore, the Clinton Administration plans to permit high volume
exports of Clipper products, while continuing to require tedious
paperwork for truly secure encryption products.  The bill would give
Clipper and other crypto software more even-handed treatment.

The bill also eliminates a senseless situation on the Internet.
Today, crypto software can only be freely distributed from non-U.S.
archive sites.  It would eliminate that problem as well as the threat
of prosecution against U.S. freeware authors of crypto software.

This is the dream we've all been working toward.  Here's how you can
help to make this dream a reality.  The Intelligence Committee must
make its decision on the bill before June 17, so time is critical:

1) Fax a short letter TODAY to the chair of the Intelligence
Committee, Representative Dan Glickman (D-KS).  Ask him in your own
words to leave the encryption provisions of H.R. 3937 intact.  Use a
positive tone ("Please support...") rather than a flame or a rant.
One paragraph is fine.  State your title and organization if you will
look more important or better informed than the average citizen.  Rep.
Glickman's committee fax number is +1 202 225 1991.  This is the best
option, since individual letters are given the most weight by members
of Congress, particularly when sent on letterhead paper.

2) If you are unable to fax a letter, send an e-mail message to Rep.
Glickman at glickman@eff.org.  Software or staff at the Electronic
Frontier Foundation will either fax it in, or print it out and
hand-deliver it for you.

3) Send a copy of this message to everyone you know in Kansas, and
personally urge them to write to Rep. Glickman today.  Letters from
constituents get a lot more weight, since they are from people who
could actually vote for or against him in the next election.

4) If your own Representative is on the Intelligence Committee, send
him or her a copy of what you sent Rep. Glickman.  There's a list of all
such Reps. below.  Even if we lose this battle, you will have started
educating your own Rep. about crypto policy.

5) Become a member of EFF.  Our strength comes from our members' strength.
Send a note to membership@eff.org asking how to join.

Thanks again for your help!  You can check at any time on the current
status of the campaign at the location below.  Send any comments on
this campaign to campaign@eff.org.


John Gilmore
Chairman, EFF Crypto Committee
EFF Board of Directors
Member of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
Member of International Association for Cryptologic Research


House Intelligence Committee Members
------------------------------------

Subcommittee phone:  +1 202 225 4121
Subcommittee fax:    +1 202 225 1991    <== send your fax HERE <==

p st name                     phone             fax
___________________________________________________________________________
D KS Glickman, Daniel         +1 202 225 6216   private            Chair 
D WA Dicks, Norman D.         +1 202 225 5916   +1 202 226 1176
D CA Dixon, Julian C.         +1 202 225 7084   +1 202 225 4091
D NJ Torricelli, Robert       +1 202 224 5061   +1 202 225 0843
D TX Coleman, Ronald D.       +1 202 225 4831   +1 202 225 4831
D CO Skaggs, David E.         +1 202 225 2161   +1 202 225 9127
D NV Bilbray, James H.        +1 202 225 5965   +1 202 225 8808
D CA Pelosi, Nancy            +1 202 225 4965   +1 202 225 8259
D TX Laughlin, Gregory H.     +1 202 225 2831   +1 202 225 1108
D AL Cramer Jr, Robert (Bud)  +1 202 225 4801   private
D RI Reed, John F.            +1 202 225 2735   +1 202 225 9580
D MO Gephardt, Richard A.     +1 202 225 2671   +1 202 225 7452
R TX Combest, Larry           +1 202 225 4005   +1 202 225 9615
R NE Bereuter, Douglas        +1 202 225 4806   +1 202 226 1148
R CA Dornan, Robert K.        +1 202 225 2965   +1 202 225 3694
R FL Young, C. W. (Bill)      +1 202 225 5961   +1 202 225 9764
R PA Gekas, George W.         +1 202 225 4315   +1 202 225 8440
R UT Hansen, James V.         +1 202 225 0453   +1 202 225 5857
R CA Lewis, Jerry             +1 202 225 5861   +1 202 225 6498
R IL Michel, Robert H.        +1 202 225 6201   +1 202 225 9461

The full text of this alert is stored at:

  ftp.eff.org, /pub/Alerts/export.alert
  gopher.eff.org, 1/Alerts, export.alert
  http://www.eff.org/pub/Alerts/export.alert
  BBS (+1 202 638 6120, 8N1): "Alerts" file area, export.alt

The actual text of this part of H.R. 3937 is at:

  ftp: ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/Policy/Crypto/ITAR_export/hr3937_crypto.excerpt
  gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Policy/Crypto/ITAR_export, hr3937_crypto.excerpt
  http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Policy/Crypto/ITAR_export/hr3937_crypto.excerpt
  BBS: "Privacy--Crypto" file area, hr3937.crp

For current status on the bill:

  ftp.eff.org, /pub/Alerts/export_alert.update
  gopher.eff.org, 1/Alerts, export_alert.update
  http://www.eff.org/pub/Alerts/export_alert.update
  BBS: "Alerts" file area, export.upd

A general Web page on crypto export policy is at:

  http://www.cygnus.com/~gnu/export.html



----- End Included Message -----



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