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The Vice President's announcement today shows forward movement. Unfortunately, this movement can be measured in inches rather than leaps and bounds. While most of us had hoped the Administration would take some bold steps forward, they have only crept ahead inches. Considering where the Administration has been, I am thankful at least for this very timid move. The Administration appears ready to sit down at the table and talk to Members of Congress, civil liberties groups and industry about legislation that will ensure the freedom of Americans to use any encryption systems domestically, liberalize export controls, transfer jurisdiction over the export of encryption products to the Commerce Department from the State Department, and encourage development by industry--not the government--of strong encryption for commercial use. These are all key elements of encryption legislation I have sponsored with Senators Burns, Lott, Murray, Wyden and others. I remain concerned that the Administration places too much reliance on a system in which individuals must turn over their most private decoding keys to another party. But I look forward to working with the Administration in a bipartisan manner to make sure that progress is made this Congress. There is much at stake here for our privacy and our economy. We urgently need, as the Vice President acknowledges, a "clear policy and direction."
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Posted on July 12, 1996