EUR_gov

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

     21 April 1997:

     US Govt Licenses First European Encryption Firm

     London: The US Department of Commerce has awarded the
     euro-encryption rights to Internet Smartware, a UK company.
     According to Internet Smartware, the agreement overcomes
     two major stumbling blocks which have prevented businesses
     from using the Internet for commercial use: 

     Firstly, European companies can now implement US
     developed 56-bit DES (data encryption standard) encryption
     technology, which the company claims is the accepted
     minimum requirement for Internet commerce, and beyond. 

     Secondly, companies will no longer have to give authorities
     such as the US government free access to their encrypted
     data. 

     Internet Smartware claims that the agreement also provides
     UK companies with an effective alternative to the recent,
     unpopular DTI (Department of Trade and Industry)
     encryption proposals, which recommend that companies
     must give "trusted third parties" access to encrypted data. 

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     "Smart" Cash Cards Pose Law Enforcement Challenges 

     Washington: "Smart cards" that store electronic currency 
     have the potential to revolutionize commerce, but the emerging 
     technology poses challenges for the law enforcement community, 
     government officials said Friday. 

     "The same electronic commerce technology that will save
     time and money is also capable of being abused," said Peter
     Toren, senior attorney in the U.S. Justice Department's
     computer fraud division. Toren, speaking at a conference at 
     American University's law school here, warned that the cards 
     offer the "threat of the perfect counterfeit" because any criminal 
     that can copy them "can create an unending stream of money." 

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     IISP Panel Addresses Cyberspace Payments

     New York -- Developing secure, cost effective and efficient 
     electronic payment systems is critical to creating a truly 
     global commercial marketplace, and efforts are already underway 
     to address the technology, business, regulatory and legal 
     aspects of cyberspace payments, according to speakers at a 
     March 25-26 panel sponsored by ANSI's Information 
     Infrastructure Standards Panel (IISP). 

     "Micro-payments, anonymous cash, `Smart Cards,' digital
     cash, electronic purses, and `e-cash' all describe different
     approaches to achieving a secure payments solution," said
     ANSI board Member Oliver Smoot. "As these new payments 
     evolve, standards to facilitate interconnection and interoperability 
     are critical." 

     Thomas J. Firnhaber, Policy Adviser at FinCEN, focused on 
     the potential impact of cyberpayments on regulatory and law 
     enforcement and provided an overview of the U.S. Department 
     of Treasury's Cyberpayments efforts to date. "The anonymity, 
     rapidity, volume and audit difficulty of cyberpayments has 
     challenged traditional investigative techniques," he said.

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     Smart Cards The Next Wave - Report 

     London: Frost & Sullivan (F&S) has announced the 
     publication of a smart card report that predicts the arrival 
     of multi-function smart cards is almost upon us. 

     "Electronic Access Control" predicts that it will soon be possible 
     for a smart card to carry out credit and debit card transactions, as 
     well as holding details of your medical records, your frequent flyer
     mileage, your social security number, your address. 

     According to F&S, a threat to this technological advance may
     be the consumer concern for the loss of privacy and a
     potential Big Brother scenario. Who, the company asks, gets
     to access the information is an issue on the minds of the
     consumer?

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