> Date: Mon, 08 Sep 1997 12:12:45 -0400 > From: "Shabbir J. Safdar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: ALERT: Congress near a vote on Net privacy legislation; call now! > > ============================================================================== > ___ _ _____ ____ _____ _ > / _ \| | | ____| _ \_ _| | Congress is about to vote on privacy and > | |_| | | | _| | |_) || | | | security on the Net. Call your member of > | _ | |___| |___| _ < | | |_| Congress before September 17, 1997 > |_| |_|_____|_____|_| \_\|_| (_) Posted September 8, 1997 > > Please forward where appropriate until September 17, 1997 > > This alert brought to you by > the Voters Telecommunications Watch, the Center for Democracy & Technology, > and the Electronic Frontier Foundation > _____________________________________________________________________________ > Table of Contents > What's Happening Right Now > What You Can Do To Help Privacy And Security On The Internet > Background On SAFE (HR. 695) > About This Alert > > _____________________________________________________________________________ > WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW > > During the next two weeks two Congressional committees (the House > Intelligence and National Security committees) will vote on the > "Security and Freedom Through Encryption Act" (SAFE, HR 695) -- > important legislation designed to protect privacy and security on the > Internet by encouraging the widespread availability of strong, > easy-to-use encryption technologies. > > Opponents of the bill include the FBI, NSA and members of the Clinton > Administration. They seek to force all Americans to provide guaranteed > law enforcement access to private online communications by imposing > "key recovery" systems inside the U.S., have a great deal of support in > Congress. It is possible that Congress could amend SAFE in a way that > undermines privacy and allows the government broad new surveillance > power. > > This is a critical moment in the fight for privacy and security on the > Internet. > > Your member of Congress needs to know that you care about privacy and > security on the Internet. Please take a moment to read the > instructions below or details on how you can help protect privacy and > security online. A summary of the bill and pointers to additional > information are also included below. > > Five minutes of your time will go a long way. > > ________________________________________________________________________ > WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW > > Please call your Representative. THIS WEEK to express your support for > the SAFE and urge them to oppose any amendments to impose key recovery > or modify the export relief provisions. > > INSTRUCTIONS: > > > IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS IS.... > > 1. Go to http://www.crypto.com/member/ and enter your zip code to find your > member of Congress and all the information needed for contacting them. > > or > > IF YOU KNOW WHO YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS IS.... > > 1. Pick up the phone and call 202-225-3121, ask for you Representative. > > 2. Ask for the staffer that handles the encryption issue. > > 3. Urge your Rep. to support SAFE (HR695) and to oppose Administration > efforts to modify the bill. > > Feel free to use your own words but be sure to stress the points below: > > - Encryption is critical National Security by protecting sensitive data and > critical points on the National Information Infrastructure like the Air > Traffic Control System and the power grid from attacks. > > - SAFE will encourage the widespread availability of strong, easy to use > encryption. > > - SAFE will help foil hackers, terrorists, and foreign spies from obtaining > unauthorized access to personal, business, and government communications > and data. > > - Key escrow or key recovery systems will hurt national security by > creating new points of vulnerability and new targets for hackers and > terrorists to seek to exploit, and will not work to prevent crime. > > - Key recovery comes at a grave cost to privacy and security. Why would > a criminal use an encryption product that they know the US government > holds the keys to? > > 4. IMPORTANT! -- PLEASE LET US KNOW HOW IT WENT! > > Visit our feedback page at: > > http://www.crypto.com/member/ > or > <a href="http://www.crypto.com/member/">Crypto.Com feedback</a> > > ...and let us know how it went! > > 5. Please forward this alert to your friends and colleagues > who live in your congressional district. > > 6. Finally, relax! You have done more to help fight for privacy and > security on the Internet in 5 minutes than most people do in a year! > We appreciate your support! > > ________________________________________________________________________ > BACKGROUND ON SAFE (HR 695) > > The Security And Freedom Through Encryption Act (SAFE) seeks to protect > privacy and promote electronic commerce by liberalizing the export of > privacy-enhancing encryption technology and prohibiting the government from > obtaining guaranteed law enforcement access to private online > communications. > > Specifically, the bill will: > > * Prohibit the Government from imposing mandatory key-recovery or key- > escrow inside the United States > > * Affirm the right of Americans to use whatever form of encryption they > choose > > * Relax current export controls on encryption technologies which > currently limit the availability of strong encryption domestically and > tie the hands of the US high technology industry > > The full text of SAFE and detailed background information can be found at > http://www.crypto.com/safe_bill/ > > A controversial provision of SAFE, which establishes new criminal penalties > for the use of encryption in the furtherance of a felony, were > substantially modified at the request of civil liberties groups field when > the bill was passed by the House Judiciary Committee in May, ensuring that > the bill will help protect your privacy and encourage the use of encryption. > > The SAFE bill is sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Anna Eshoo > (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rick White (R-WA) and over 250 other House > members. > > The Clinton Administration is unhappy with the bill, claiming it will > thwart law enforcement and undermine the administration's efforts to impose > a global "key-recovery" infrastructure. In an April 30 letter to the Courts > and Intellectual Property Subcommittee chair Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC), the > Department of Justice said: > > "The bill could be read as prohibiting the United States government > from using appropriate incentives to support a key management > infrastructure and KEY RECOVERY." [emphasis added] > > The Administration's "Key Recovery" program creates a back door in > encryption that would allow third parties to eavesdrop on individual's > private conversations without their permission or knowledge. > > Despite its broad based support, the SAFE bill faces a tough road as it makes > its way to the full House, where a vote is possible this fall. Votes are > currently scheduled in the House National Security (9/9) and Intelligence > Committees (9/11). Be sure to visit http://www.crypto.com for the latest > news and information on the issue. > > ______________________________________________________________________________ > ABOUT THIS ALERT > > This message was brought to you by the Center for Democracy and > Technology (http://www.cdt.org), the Voters Telecommunications Watch > (http://www.vtw.org/), and the Electronic Frontier Foundation > (http://www.eff.org) who have issued this alert jointly. > > ______________________________________________________________________________ > end alert 09.08.97 >
