From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 12:47:51 +0800
To: "John Smith" <jsmith58@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Exports and criminalizing crypto
In-Reply-To: <19970925215418.1688.qmail@hotmail.com>
Message-ID: <v03007800b050e4714df3@[168.161.105.141]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 14:54 -0700 9/25/97, John Smith wrote:
>passed, remember?  FBI's bill did not.  And all the opposition
>came together in a few days.  Nobody was ready for this.  Next year
>there will be more time to organize, and the opposition should be
>even stronger.

Of course the CDA was not necessary for national security. It would not
prevent the U.S. Capitol building from being blown up.

>That depends.  The law may still be good.  Who cares about this
>crypto center.  That's just another boondoggle.  The main thing is
>getting the export laws changed.

The main thing is preserving freedoms, both to use and export crypto.
Restrictions on use are not reasonable tradeoffs for relaxation of export
ctrls.

Also the coalition that came together can be fragmented if the domestic
restrictions are more subtle or go after individuals instead of businesses.

Your blind faith in the U.S. Congress is touching, but hardly realistic.

-Declan