From: Voters Telecommunications Watch <shabbir@vtw.org>
Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 19:00:39 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: (ALERT) Senators who introduce new crypto bill need support (5/14/96)
Message-ID: <199605150201.WAA20600@panix3.panix.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


========================================================================

		Campaign for Secure Communications Online
	               	     May 13, 1996

               BI-PARTISAN SENATORS INTRODUCE NEW CRYPTO BILL
                  S.1726 PROMISES TO FREE ENCRYPTION FROM
                     COLD WAR REGULATORY STRANGLEHOLD

      Please widely redistribute this document with this banner intact
			until June 15, 1996

________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
	The Latest News
	What You Can Do Now
	Crypto Factoid
	Chronology of Crypto Export Liberalization Bill
	For More Information

________________________________________________________________________
THE LATEST NEWS

In an effort to improve privacy and security on the Internet, a bi-partisan
group of legislators recently introduced a bill to encourage the widespread
availability of strong, easy-to-use encryption technologies.  The bill,
known as the Promotion of Commerce Online in the Digital Era (Pro-CODE) act
of 1996 (S. 1726), would relax Cold War era export controls which have
constrained the development and use of strong privacy and security technologies.

Encryption is one of the technologies that will allow us to visualize a secure
Internet, an Internet useful for conducting all sorts of private business
from communicating with one's doctor, loved one, or spouse, to checking
one's bank balance.

S.1726 is sponsored by Senators Burns (R-MT), Leahy (D-VT), Pressler (R-SD),
Wyden (D-OR), Ashcroft (R-MO), Dole (R-KS), Faircloth (R-NC), McCain (R-AZ),
and Murray (D-WA).

The Pro-CODE Act resolves to:

1.  Allow for the *unrestricted* export of "mass-market" or "public-domain"
    encryption programs, including such products as Pretty  Good Privacy and
    popular World Wide Web browsers.

2.  Requires the Secretary of Commerce to allow the less restricted export
    of other encryption technologies if products of similar strength are
    generally available outside the United States, roughly up to DES
    strength.

3.  Prohibits the federal government from imposing mandatory key-escrow
    encryption policies on the domestic market and limiting the authority
    of the Secretary of Commerce to set standards for encryption products. 

A copy of the legislation can be found at each of the WWW sites listed at
the bottom in the "For More Information" Section.

________________________________________________________________________
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

As more and more people come online, the need for - and lack of -
strong privacy and security is becoming increasingly critical.  This
legislation represents an important step towards ensuring that the
Internet develops into a secure, trusted medium for political,
commercial, and private speech.

The co-sponsors of S. 1726 have taken a political risk and are challenging
the White House, the NSA (National Security Agency, and the FBI (Federal
Bureau of Investigation) in a policy battle to protect your privacy. They
need your support.

Please familiarize yourself with the bill (pointers to background
information are listed below), and then take a moment to call, write, or
fax the sponsors of the bill and thank them for their leadership on this
issue.

1. Call/Fax/Email Senate sponsors and thank them

      P ST Name and Address           Phone           Fax
      = == ========================   ==============  ==============
      R MT Burns, Conrad R.           1-202-224-2644  1-202-224-8594
	   conrad_burns@burns.senate.gov
      D VT Leahy, Patrick J.          1-202-224-4242  1-202-224-3595
            senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
      R SD Pressler, Larry            1-202-224-5842  1-202-224-1259
            larry_pressler@pressler.senate.gov
      D OR Wyden, Ron                 1-202-224-5244  1-202-228-2717
      R MO Ashcroft, John             1-202-224-6154  na
	   john_ashcroft@ashcroft.senate.gov
      R KS Dole, Robert               1-202-224-6521  1-202-228-1245
      R NC Faircloth, D. M.           1-202-224-3154  1-202-224-7406
	   senator@faircloth.senate.gov
      R AZ McCain, John               1-202-224-2235  1-202-224-2862
	   senator_mccain@mccain.senate.gov
      D WA Murray, Patty              1-202-224-2621  1-202-224-0238
	   senator_murray@murray.senate.gov

2. Use sample communication

   SAMPLE PHONE CALL
	You:<ring ring>
	Sen:Hello, Senator Mojo's office!
	You:Hi, I'd like to thank the Senator for helping to introduce
	    legislation to lift the export controls on encryption.  I won't
	    use Clipper and don't think there's enough strong encryption on
	    the Internet to protect my messages.

	    Strong, non-Clipper encryption is needed to secure
	    communications with my doctor, bank, spouse, and attorney.

	Sen:Ok, thanks!<click>

3. Let VTW know what sort of response you got

   Just drop us a line at vtw@vtw.org and let us know how your phone
   call went!

4. Forward this to your friends and colleagues.  Unlike the debate over
   free speech, many netizens still do not know much about the issues of
   security and privacy on the Internet.  Take the time to explain to
   a friend why security on the Internet is important.

________________________________________________________________________
CRYPTO FACTOID

According to a 1993 study of encryption products worldwide, there are
193 products in 18 countries overseas that are sold with DES-strength
encryption built into them.

American companies and American programmers are today restricted from
selling products with DES-strength encryption to the overseas market,
or even distributing them domestically on the Internet.

It is becoming extremely difficult for American companies to compete
in the global market against competitors who do not labor under such
restrictions.

Source:
Joint study with Dr. Lance Hoffman, Trusted Information Systems
(http://www.tis.com), and the Software Publishers Association
(http://www.spa.org).  Study updated December 1995 and is available at
http://www.tis.com/crypto/survey.html.

________________________________________________________________________
CHRONOLOGY OF THE 1996 CRYPTO BILLS

5/2/96
Bi-partisan group of Senators introduce Pro-CODE Act, which would free
public-domain encryption software (such as PGP) for export, free much
commercial encryption for export, and reduce the government's ability to
push Clipper proposals down the throats of an unwilling public.  Original
sponsors include: Senators Burns (R-MT), Dole (R-KS), Faircloth (R-NC),
Leahy (D-VT), Murray (D-WA), Pressler (R-SD), and Wyden (D-OR).

3/5/96
Sen. Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. Goodlatte (R-VA) announce encryption bills
(S.1587/H.R.3011) that significantly relax export restrictions on products
with encryption functionality in them, as well as free public domain software
such as PGP (Pretty Good Privacy).

________________________________________________________________________
FOR MORE INFORMATION

There are many excellent resources online to get up to speed on crypto
including the following WWW sites:

    www.privacy.org          www.crypto.com          www.eff.org    
    www.cdt.org              www.epic.org            www.vtw.org

Please visit them often.

Several organizations are working hard to support your right to have access
to strong, effective encryption.  We have all collaborated on this alert,
funneling it through a single editor.  Please address any press queries
DIRECTLY to the organizations directly.  The editors *do not* speak for
the coalition as a whole.  Here is an alphabetical list of the coalition
members:

American Civil Liberties Union		Center for Democracy and Technology
Computer Professionals for		Electronic Frontier Foundation
   Social Responsibility		HotWired / Wired Magazine
Electronic Privacy Information
   Center
People for the American Way		*Voters Telecommunications Watch

*Editors
________________________________________________________________________
End alert
========================================================================