[2669] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Ashcroft's crypto-campaigning; Holder on Y2K and Microsoft
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Declan McCullagh)
Tue May 12 17:01:03 1998
Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 13:18:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
To: cryptography@c2.net
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 13:17:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
To: politech@vorlon.mit.edu
Subject: Ashcroft's crypto-campaigning; Holder on Y2K and Microsoft
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http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/afternoon/0%2c1012%2c1986%2c00.html
time.com / The Netly News / Afternoon Line
May 12, 1998
The Show-me Statesman
Politicians love it when interests coincide. Consider today's
announcement of a new encryption bill, backed by GOP presidential
hopeful Sen. John Ashcroft and an gaggle of high tech firms. These
companies, members of the Americans for Computer Privacy coalition,
hope to roll back export restrictions that cost them billions. For his
part, Ashcroft gets a chance to show Silicon Valley that he'll be
their crypto-champion in Congress -- a favor he can call in during the
2000 election. Better yet, Ashcroft can distance himself from Al
Gore's support for crypto regulations, something even
Democratic-leaning technology CEOs hold against the Veep. With
impeccable conservative credentials and an eight-year stint as
attorney general of Missouri behind him, Ashcroft can do what Clinton
and Gore never could -- face down at least some of the FBI's demands.
But don't expect Ashcroft's E-PRIVACY bill, introduced with Senators
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), to become law
anytime soon. Not even its sponsors this morning predicted it would.
There's just not a lot of time left in this Congress, and the FBI has
proven adept at stalling crypto-legislation in the past. --By Declan
McCullagh/Washington
Choice Cuts Both Ways
When Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder showed up at the White House
this morning, he expected to talk a lot about international
cooperation to fight crime (including, by the way, computer crime and
the Internet). But reporters also wanted to know if the Justice
Department's computers were free of the Year 2000 problem. Replied
Holder: "I can say that the Justice Department is on track with regard
to that effort, and it is something that is constantly monitored." How
about Microsoft? Are the DOJ's antitrust enforcers planning to move
against the software giant this week to block the distribution of
Windows 98? "We are pretty close to making a decision," Holder said.
He argued that "the Justice Department's enforcement efforts with
regard to Microsoft have all been designed to give the American people
choice when it comes to the computer products that they would select."
Except, of course, if your choice is to upgrade to Windows 98 and
you're prevented from doing so by the feds. --By Declan
McCullagh/Washington
Waiting at the Starting Gate
With the DOJ and states' attorneys general still hedging on a
definitive declaration of intent to file suit against Microsoft this
week, Sun was the first out of the gate today with a request to forbid
Microsoft to distribute Windows 98 unless it contains Sun's version of
Java.
[...remainder snipped...]
