My letter to Leahy supporting the crypto bill

[Matt Blaze <mab@crypto.com>]

Here is the text of a letter I sent to Leahy supporting the "Encrypted
Communications Privacy Act of 1996" being introduced today.  I urge everyone
to check out the bill (should be online on thomas.loc.gov sometime soon);
on balance, I think the bill is a huge step forward and deserves support.

-matt


						Matt Blaze, Ph.D.
						600 Mountain Avenue
						Murray Hill, NJ 07974

						March 1, 1996

Hon. Patrick Leahy
United States Senate

Dear Senator Leahy:

Thank you for introducing the Encrypted Communications Privacy Act of
1996.  As a member of the computer security and cryptology research
community, I have observed firsthand the deleterious effect that the
current regulations governing the use and export of cryptography are
having on our country's ability to develop a reliable and trustworthy
information infrastructure.  Your bill takes an important first step
toward creating regulations that reflect the modern realities of this
increasingly critical technology.

Unlike previous government encryption initiatives such as the
technically-flawed and unworkable ``Clipper'' chip, your bill
re-affirms the role of the marketplace in providing ordinary citizens
and businesses with a full range of choices for securing their private
information.  In particular, by freeing mass-market cryptographic
software and hardware from the burdensome export controls that govern
the international arms trade, the bill will help the American software
industry compete, for the first time, in the international market for
high-quality security products.

Law enforcement need not fear the widespread availability of
encryption; indeed, they should welcome and promote it.  Encryption
thwarts electronic predators by preventing unauthorized access to
private data and computer systems, and the use of strong cryptography
to protect computer networks is becoming as natural and necessary as
the use of locks and burglar alarms to protect our homes and
businesses.  While criminals, too, might occasionally derive some
advantage from the use of cryptography, the benefits of
widely-available encryption technology overwhelmingly favor the honest
user.  By recognizing that those who hold decryption keys on behalf of
others are in a special position of trust, your bill is respectful of
the privacy of law-abiding citizens without introducing impediments to
the government's ability to investigate and prevent crime.

I have also examined the new provision designed to discourage the use
of cryptography by criminals in the furtherance of a felony, and hope
to see your carefully-worded language reinforced by a narrow
interpretation in the courts, consistent with your intent.

Again, thank you for your continued leadership in this area, and I
look forward to doing whatever I can to help you bring encryption
regulations in line with the fast-changing reality of this emerging
technology.

					Sincerely,


					(s) Matt Blaze