21 October 2002
Date: 20 Oct 2002 05:03:58 -0000 From: Russell Nelson <nelson@crynwr.com> To: cryptography@wasabisystems.com Subject: Government Backs Away from Crypto Regulations To: export@list.cr.yp.to Subject: Government Backs Away from Crypto Regulations PRESS RELEASE Contact: Daniel J. Bernstein, press-20021018@box.cr.yp.to GOVERNMENT BACKS AWAY FROM CRYPTO REGULATIONS San Francisco, 18 October 2002 - The government today told a federal court that several portions of the current encryption regulations would not be enforced. The regulations are being challenged by Daniel J. Bernstein, a professor of mathematics, statistics, and computer science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Bernstein's lawsuit led to four court decisions against the constitutionality of the government's previous regulations. To comply with the current regulations, cryptographers must send encryption software to the National Security Agency before showing the software to foreigners. They must also wait for government approval if source code for the software is not publicly available. Department of Justice attorney Tony Coppolino told the court that the government would not enforce the regulations against cryptographers working together at conferences. He also told the court that the government would treat "assembly language" as source code. Chief Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California will take the next action in the case. Observers expect Patel to rely on the government's promises and dismiss Bernstein's case without deciding the constitutionality of the current regulations. "I'm trying to help protect the Internet against bad guys," Bernstein said in a statement. "I hope it's true that the government is going to stop interfering in my work." -30- -- -russ nelson http://russnelson.com | Crynwr sells support for free software | PGPok | businesses persuade 521 Pleasant Valley Rd. | +1 315 268 1925 voice | governments coerce Potsdam, NY 13676-3213 | +1 315 268 9201 FAX | --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to majordomo@wasabisystems.com