From: "Brian B. Riley" <brianbr@together.net>
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 1997 01:24:15 +0800
To: <cypherpunks@cyberpass.net>
Subject: Encouraging News - France
Message-ID: <199709011716.NAA01820@mx02.together.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



 From <http://www.ft.com/hippocampus/8e46a.htm>

>Encryption technology: French boost for internet software

>MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1 1997
>By Andrew Jack in Paris

>France is poised to liberalise regulations on computer encryption 
>technology which could boost its efforts to encourage development of the 
>internet.

>The government is shortly to publish an official decree which would for 
>the first time allow easy access to and use of software which encodes 
>sensitive information in order to protect it from unauthorised 
>interception.

>The move could prove especially important for companies attempting to 
>sell products and services over the internet, but which have been 
>concerned about their protection of credit card numbers and other 
>financial information provided by their customers.
>
>France remains one of the few western countries to impose such 
>restrictive legislation on encryption, with only certain categories of 
>users currently allowed to use the software.

>Other nations which continue to restrict the use of cryptography tightly 
>in order to control the transfer of sensitive information include Iraq, 
>Libya, Singapore and China.

>While many more countries - including EU member states and the US - 
>restrict the export of sophisticated encryption technology as a product 
>important to national security, most have more liberal guidelines 
>concerning the circulation and application of software within their own 
>borders.

>The new decree in France follows a 1996 telecommunications regulation 
>law, which opened the way to liberalisation of encryption software but 
>which has so far not led to publication of any details of how the 
>measures could be applied.

>The latest move comes after Lionel Jospin, the prime minister, made a 
>speech last week highlighting the "delay" in France of uptake of the 
>internet and promising initiatives to give it a higher priority.
>---------


Brian B. Riley --> http://www.macconnect.com/~brianbr
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