OpenBSD is a secure operating system. To thrive, we need to be
able to continue making reliable and secure electronic communication
technology available. It is possible that the Canadian government
is about to take (well meaning but ill-informed?) policy decisions
that would result in the curtailment of our rights to export OpenBSD
as we know it.
Apologies for the short notice but it appears that the
Canadian government may be trying to put a fast one over
by having a sham "public comment" period before going
ahead with their own agenda. Possibly not. In any case,
the DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS IS APRIL 21, so please act on
this message today. [If you get this a day or two after
the deadline, please send a short note anyway; better late
than never!].
Thanks
Ian Darwin
[email protected]
[email protected]
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April 17, 1998
>From Mark D. Hughes
Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI)
[email protected]
The following was posted in:
GLIC Alert (the Global Internet Liberty Campaign Newsletter)
Volume 2, Issue 5
April 13, 1998
http://www.gilc.org
[B4.4] Canada Sets the Stage for Encryption Action
On March 31, 1998, leaders of Canada's cryptography industry and
privacy advocates met in Ottawa to discuss and suggest an encryption
plan for Canada. Wired News reported that "the consensus among the
group was that Canada should continue its current stance of not
implementing any domestic crypto controls, and liberalize its existing
export policies." The article quotes David Jones, president of
Electronic Frontier Canada (EFC is a GILC founding member): "We are
firmly opposed to any policy or legislation that would prohibit the
export of encryption of encryption products, either stored or
transmitted."
In February, the Canadian government invited public
comment when it issued "A Cryptography Policy Framework for Electronic
Commerce," where it depicts several different cryptography
possibilities. According to Mark Hughes, executive director of the
Victoria-based Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI): "its call for
public comment is, in my view, a cruel joke because the paper was only just
issued (February 21, 1998) and all public comment must be made by
April 21, 1998. As few Canadians comprehend what encryption is and
how it affects them, two months is simply not enough time for
Canadians to sufficiently educate themselves in order to make informed
comments on the future of their electronic privacy."
Read Wired story: http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/1
Canada's "Framework" proposal:
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/cy00005e.html
Electronic Frontier Canada: http://insight.mcmaster.ca/org/efc
Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI): [email protected]
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