[2291] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: DoJ claims no mandatory crypto-backdoors
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steve Bellovin)
Wed Mar 18 12:02:07 1998
To: cryptography@c2.net
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 11:33:53 -0500
From: Steve Bellovin <smb@research.att.com>
Again,
let me restate that the Administration does not advocate such an
approach, and believes that a voluntary solution is preferable.
Nonetheless, I am prepared to discuss hypothetical legislation
prohibiting the manufacture, distribution and import of encryption
products that do not contain plaintext recovery technologies, so that
the capability to decrypt encrypted data and communications is
available to law enforcement upon presentation of valid legal
authority.
I think that this quote is crucial. The Administration is willing
to forgo mandatory key recovery *if and only if* industry does it
anyway. If industry doesn't go along -- they'll introduce legislation.
