From: wb8foz@netcom.com (David Lesher)
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 95 09:52:22 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Council of Europe proposes to outlaw strong encryption (fwd)
Message-ID: <199509211649.MAA11243@netcom22.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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> SUBJECT: Euroclipper
> Apologies if this is old news to you folks, but thought I should              
> pass it on.


Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 00:42:39 -0400                                          
Subject: IP: Council of Europe proposes to outlaw strong encryption            
                                                                               
According to an article in `Communications Week International', the            
34-nation Council of Europe has agreed to outlaw strong encryption             
products which do not make keys available to governments.                      
                                                                               
The article, `Euro-Clipper chip scheme proposed', is on the front page         
of the magazine's issue 151, dated 18th September, which arrived in my         
mail this morning.                                                             
                                                                               
It relates that the policy was approved on the 8th September at                
Strasbourg by the Council, and coincides with an attempt by the                
European Commission to propose a pan-European encryption standard. The         
Council - unlike the Commission - has no statutory powers to enforce           
its recommendations. However, Peter Csonka, the chairman of the                
committee that drafted the document (and an administrative officer at          
the Council's division of crime problems) says that `it is rare for            
countries to reject Council of Europe recommendations'.                        
                                                                               
The proposal would make telecomms operators responsible for decrypting         
traffic and supplying it to governments when asked.  It would also             
`change national laws to enable judicial authorities to chase hackers          
across borders'.                                                               
                                                                               
Opposition to this measure was expressed by Mike Strezbek, VP                  
responsible for European telecomms at JP Morgan, who said that his             
organisation `will challenge any attempt to limit the power of our             
network encryption technologies very strongly'.                                
                                                                               
Czonka said that the Council had given consideration to business               
interests but had tries to strike a balance between privacy and                
justice. However, `it remains possible that cryptography is available          
to the public which cannot be deciphered,' his document says. `This            
might lead to the conclusion to put restrictions on the possession,            
distribution, or use of cryptography.'                                         
                                                                               
Apparently another international organisation, the OECD, has called a          
conference of its members in December to devise a strategy on                  
encryption.                                                                    
                                                                               
I for one will be making clear to my MP that his stand on this issue           
will determine how I cast my ballot at the next election. I note that          
John Major stated in a 1994 parliamentary written reply to David Shaw          
MP that the government did not intend to legislate on data encryption.         
I am disppointed that government policy has changed to the point of            
supporting the Council of Europe, and that this change has sneaked             
through during the parliamentary recess.                                       
                                                                               
Ross Anderson                                                                  
                                                                               
                                                                               



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