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EU stumps for encryption
Commission urges U.S. to take 'hands
off' approach on regulations
October 8, 1997: 3:17 p.m. ET
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Encryption fight rolls on - Sept. 15, 1997
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BRUSSELS (Reuter) - European officials urged governments, including
the United States, on Wednesday to take a "hands off" approach to
regulating the technology needed to ensure that Internet transactions
are confidential.
[INLINE] "If regulation at all is needed, it should be very light," a
top telecommunications commission official said, presenting a report
on how the European Union should promote security on the Internet.
[INLINE] EU Telecommunications Commissioner Martin Bangemann told
reporters that strict controls would end up penalizing law-abiding
users rather than the criminals they targeted.
[INLINE] He added that the United States, which restricts exports of
certain strong encryption products, was becoming isolated on the
issue. "We must engage in a debate with the Americans at an
international level," he told a news conference.
[INLINE] The commission's report addressed the use of encryption and
"digital signatures" -- electronic seals that are attached to
transmissions to allow recipients to verify their origin and ensure
that they have not been tampered with.
[INLINE] It urged the EU to take a common approach to the questions,
saying otherwise cross-border Internet trade could be hampered. It
said it would propose legislation on "digital signatures" in the first
half of 1998.
[INLINE] Encryption has become a contentious issue because some
governments and law enforcement authorities want to regulate it as a
way to keep it out of the hands of terrorists and other criminals.
France has virtually outlawed use of encryption software.
[INLINE] But the commission said controls could impede the growth of a
technology that is essential to promoting business over the Internet
and would likely not work anyway.
[INLINE] "It's not possible to prevent criminals from using modern
technologies in order to protect themselves and their messages from
the police," Bangemann said. "There's not much point in preventing
legal users from having access to this."
[INLINE] In addition to its export controls, the United States is
discussing legislation that would restrict encryption technology
domestically, for example by requiring systems that would allow law
enforcement authorities to tap into electronic transmissions.
[INLINE] Bangemann renewed his push for a global charter on the
Internet that would address questions such as encryption, noting that
the United States had already expressed interest in the idea.
[INLINE] The Commission said EU legislation on digital signatures
would address questions such as legal recognition of signatures,
liability, technical requirements and certification authorities (CAs).
[INLINE] CAs hold information that allow recipients to confirm the
identity of the person that has sent a transmission.
[INLINE] It said it would look askance at national restrictions on
encryption, however. "Instead of introducing or maintaining rather
inefficient but cumbersome restrictions, the Commission invites member
states to enhance cooperation of police forces on a European and
international level," it said. Link to top
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