Relaxed encryption exports get green light.

October 19, 2000 6:18 PM

Relaxed encryption exports get green light. See comment inside.
posted by Steven Den Beste (3 comments total)

"The president and the vice president have provided the leadership to create a balanced, market-driven approach for shipping these products overseas," said William A. Reinsch, the Commerce Department's undersecretary for export administration.

Leadership, my ass! They've been resisting this as hard as they possibly can for the entire duration of the Clinton administration, even when it became completely absurd. How can someone stand up in front of reporters and say something like this with a straight face?

But let us look on the bright side and celebrate the final defeat of the NSA and its attempts to use the FBI to front for it on this battle. It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys. (At least they now admit that they exist. It used to be said that NSA stood for "No Such Agency".)

posted by Steven Den Beste at 6:24 PM on October 19, 2000

"Sure, you can buy our encryption. [pssst! did you finish coding the back doors?]"
posted by tomorama at 8:37 PM on October 19, 2000

That's right, I don't want no stiff-assed encryption, I want relaxed encryption! That's what we want to export!

Basically what we've been saying for years has happened: the electronic borders have become so porous, and the encryption capabilities of non-Americans so equal, that their silly laws no longer make any sense for the real world.
posted by dhartung at 7:48 AM on October 20, 2000