FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 15, 1998
Cryptography Is Not A Weapon:
Civil Liberties Groups Join International Call for the Removal
of Cryptography Controls From International Arrangement
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier
Foundation, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and other
members of the Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC) -- a coalition
of nearly 50 non-governmental human rights, civil liberties, consumer,
and computer user groups from around the world -- today issued an open
statement calling for the removal of cryptography controls from the
Wassenaar Arrangement, an international agreement that governs the
proliferation of offensive military technology. The statement was
sent to the technical expert representatives of the 33 nations who are
signatories to the Wassenaar Arrangement and who are due to begin a
review of the arrangement this Fall.
According to EFF President Barry Steinhardt, cryptography is a
defensive technology that scrambles computer files and communications
to protect privacy, including everything from medical records to ATM
transactions. "Cryptography is not a weapon. It is the primary
defensive tool to protect the privacy of data and communications in
the digital age. Restrictions on encryption have no place in an
international arms control agreement. The Wassenaar nations should
stick to their original principle, which expressly excluded controls
over mass market and public domain software," said Steinhardt.
"Export controls on cryptography only hurt law-abiding companies and
citizens," said ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser. "Such controls
will have no effect on curbing the ability of criminals or terrorists
from obtaining any number of cryptographic products available
worldwide."
Moreover, continued efforts to impose controls on the use of
encryption based on outdated Cold War policies run contrary to the
growing trend among national government to promote the availability of
strong encryption to encourage electronic commerce and protect
personal privacy. "Wassenaar must be updated to reflect the modern
nature of electronic communications and digital commerce," said David
Banisar, Policy Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center
and United States coordinator of the
Campaign.
Earlier this year, GILC released a report that found that few
countries impose controls on the use, manufacture, or distribution of
encryption products. The report cited the disproportionate influence
of state security agencies in the United States to explain that
country's efforts to expand law enforcement authority in the
development of encryption policy.
Today's statement, which was released by the Global Internet Liberty
Campaign, argued that such controls on cryptography can only serve to
increase the vulnerability of the information infrastructures on which
society is increasingly dependent. The group called upon the
assembled delegates of the national signatories to the Wassenaar
Arrangement to," recognize the negative impact of existing controls
over cryptography products and to remove such restrictions from future
revisions of the Arrangement."
The GILC member statement, which was signed by 25 non-governmental
organizations from around the world can be found at:
http://www.gilc.org/crypto/wassenaar/
GILC, Cryptography and Liberty: An International Survey of Encryption
Policy, February 1998. On the Web at:
http://www.gilc.org/crypto/crypto-survey.html
Background Information
What is the Wassenaar Arrangement?
The Wassenaar Arrangement is a 1995 international regime to control
trade in conventional arms and dual-use goods and technology, which
have both civilian and offensive military capabilities. 33 countries
are signatories, including most European countries, Canada, Japan, New
Zealand, the USA and Australia.
What is GILC?
The Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC), which includes the
American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation,
and the Electronic Privacy Information Center is a coalition of nearly
50 non-governmental human rights, civil liberties, consumer, and
computer user groups from around the world. The Campaign endeavors to
protect and promote fundamental human rights such as freedom of speech
and the right of privacy on the Internet for users everywhere. More
information on the Campaign is available on the Internet at:
http://www.gilc.org
