[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Supercomputer export link in National Security Committee report
>From JYA's copy ("Purpose and Background" section, about
8 paragraphs down):
(3) It would direct the Secretary of Commerce to
allow the export or re-export of encryption-capable
software for non-military end-uses in any country, or
computers using such software based on considerations
of foreign availability.
Importantly, the committee notes that section 3 of H.R. 695
would require the government to approve exports of high
performance computers (so-called ``supercomputers'') if those
computers contain encryption products or software that are
commercially available. In the committee's view, this is one of
the most serious consequences and flaws of the bill. Under this
proposed arrangement, any company would be in a position to
force the government to allow the export of even the most
powerful supercomputer available in the United States, if they
first loaded a piece of foreign-available encryption software
on the supercomputer. As confirmed by Secretary Reinsch in his
testimony before the committee, this provision would overturn
the Spence-Dellums amendment to H.R. 1119, the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, adopted by the House on
June 19, 1997, by a vote of 332-88. That amendment would
prevent the inadvertent export of supercomputers to
questionable end users in countries of proliferation concern.
Are we getting screwed by a false link to supercomputers?
Ern