Re: VeriSign Granted First Federal Approval to Issue CertificatesEnabling Export of Strong Encryption

[Steve Schear <azur@netcom.com>]

At 2:16 PM -0400 7/15/97, ptharrison wrote, on e$@thumper.vmeng.com:
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
>At 11:49 AM 7/15/97 -0400, VERISIGN PR wrote:
>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>...allowing approved organizations to use 128-bit encryption
>>... U.S.-based companies -- with servers located in the U.S.  --
>> and international banks -- with servers located in the US and abroad --
>>... was granted approval after review and consultation
>> from the National Security Agency (NSA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation
>> (FBI).
>> ...Companies will not need to escrow their keys in order
>> to take advantage of this program.
>> ...VeriSign...can ensure that...Global Server IDs will only be granted to >
>> > legitimate businesses that meet the necessary U.S. government
>qualifications
>> Thanks to the cooperation of the U.S. government, we are now able to offer
>>law-> abiding companies a legal alternative for secure communication and
>>commerce."
>> ...
>>     MICROSOFT
>> said Mike Dusche, "The U.S. government is sending a strong message to the
>world
>> by approving these applications and we're happy to be working with them...
>
>Yes, and what might that message be?

With this announcement, it has become clear to me what the US government is
attempting to do. They are relaxing the export of strong crypto -- if you
use a US-based certification authority. Why does this matter? Look at the
Kerry bill. My guess is that they already know that Verisign will go along
with a key escrow requirement, in exchange for protection from liability,
and so their goal now is to put Verisign in the loop as much as possible.

I started to think of the loopholes this could create -- US companies
outsourcing web sites for  foreign companies, etc. Then I realized: IT
DOESN'T MATTER, as far as the US government is concerned, because they're
going to have those keys escrowed. The Kerrey bill may not pass this
go-around, but they are counting on something like this.

The hard part, now, is to figure out how to explain this to industry,
public and the press, without sounding like raving lunatics. We meed to
make it more concrete. Remind people that certificates expire every year,
and point them at the Kerrey legislation. Ask foreign banks how they feel
about their transactions being fully accessible to the US government -- or
anyone capable of bribing a low-level functionary in the US government.

--Steve

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Steve Schear (N7ZEZ)     | Internet: azur@netcom.com
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