Issue:
The explosive growth in Internet commerce and other Internet
applications has resulted in a heightened demand for strong
encryption to secure stored and transmitted data over the
Internet. Encryption is a technology that codes and decodes
information using a specific mathematical algorithm, so
that the encrypted data is incomprehensible to those who
are not authorized to see it. The ability to secure information
using a variety of strong encryption technologies is vital
to the continued growth of the global digital economy.
Current US policy, which was revised in September 1998,
permits the export of 56-bit DES products and eliminates
requirements for key recovery. Some industries, including
insurance and medical, can export products above 56-bit.
Impact:
The former US export prohibition on encryption products
over 40-bit cost otherwise competitive U.S. companies significant
global market share and dampened the growth of the US security
business.
Position:
Cisco advocates a non-cryptographic alternative to key-recovery
called "Clear Zone." It is a dynamically created and managed
access point that allows the operator of an encrypting device
to comply with a legal warrant without giving away a key
or weakening overall security. Clear Zone functionality
exists in most firewalls, VPN devices and encrypting routers.
Cisco Involvement:
Cisco is working to educate government officials and other
policy makers concerning the deployment of encryption in
data networks and the need to deploy robust encryption to
ensure the security of data networks. Cisco is also a member
of the Americans for Computer Privacy (ACP), a lobbying
organization that is working to pass legislation to liberalize
export controls on encryption for American companies.
Status:
- Thirteen high-tech companies, including
Cisco, issued a news release on July 13th endorsing a
'private doorbell' solution to the network encryption
stalemate called 'operator action.'
- Nine of the 13 companies filed proposals
with the U.S. Department of Commerce asking for permission
to sell strong encryption products abroad that use operator
action technologies.
- Under the operator action model, information
traveling over a data network remains secure and private
unless a network operator is served with a legal warrant
or court order.
Fast Facts:
- A Computer Systems Policy Project study
estimates that current restrictions on encryption technology
will cost 200,000 high-skill, high-wage jobs by the year
2000.
- The Department of Commerce announced
that foreign competitors from more than 20 countries are
selling hundreds of strong (128-bit and above) encryption
products.
Click here for Alliance
for Network Security (ANS)
To Download Clear Zone paper [.doc, 366 KB]
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