[2398] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Text of letter -- The SAFE Act jeopardizes Israel's security!
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Declan McCullagh)
Mon Mar 30 16:17:47 1998
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 12:57:01 -0800 (PST)
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Reply-To: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
To: cryptography@c2.net
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Keystroked by Declan McCullagh (declan@well.com)
More at http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/afternoon/0,1012,1861,00.html
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http://www.well.com/user/declan/netly/solomon.032598.txt
March 25, 1998
THE SAFE ACT JEOPARDIZES ISRAEL'S SECURITY!!!
Dear Colleague,
As you know, approval of the SAFE Act (HR 695) without key recovery
will damage America's intelligence gathering capability. This is
the reason the National Security and Intelligence Committees
strongly oppose the bill.
When terrorist nations or terrorist organizations communicate we
now possess the capability to intercept and decode those messages.
However, if the SAFE Act becomes law our country will lose this
capability. Approval of this bill would have grave consequences on
Israel. First, since the bill effectively eliminates export
controls on encryption technology it will weaken our ability to
collect intelligence and as a result devalue the intelligence we
share. Secondly, making unrestricted encryption technology available
to terrorist organizations would jeopardize Israel's own
intelligence capability.
<bold>
When questioned about the effects of HR 695 (The Safe Act) General
Meir Dagan, Advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister on Counter
Terrorism stated, "making unbreakable encryption software available
would be the equivalent of shooting ourselves iwth our own gun!"
And Major General David Ivry, Advisor to Israel's Minister of
Defense said that "we would encourage all of our friends in the
United States to oppose the bill.
</bold>
The proponents of this bill maintain that our enemies and Israel's
enemies will eventually possess encryption technology. Even if true,
it fails to explain why we should rush to place this technology in
the hands of our enemies. Please give the United States, our allies
and our friends the time to develop a strategy and countermeasures to
address these new technologies by opposing the SAFE Act.
Sincerely,
[signed]
Gerald B. Solomon
Member of Congress
