SECURITY AND FREEDOM THROUGH ENCRYPTION (SAFE) ACT -- HON. BOB GOODLATTE
(Extensions of Remarks - March 01, 1999)
[Page: E297]
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HON. BOB GOODLATTE
OF VIRGINIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MONDAY, MARCH 1, 1999
- Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased, along with 204 of my colleagues,
to introduce the Security And Freedom through Encryption (SAFE) Act of
1999.
- This much-needed, bipartisan legislation accomplishes several important
goals. First, it aids law enforcement by preventing piracy and white-collar
crime on the Internet. If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,
then an ounce of encryption is worth a pound of subpoenas. With the speed of
transactions and communications on the Internet, law enforcement cannot
possibly deal with pirates and criminal hackers by waiting to react until
after the fact.
- Only by allowing the use of strong encryption, not only domestically but
internationally as well, can we hope to make the Internet a safe and secure
environment. As the National Research Council's Committee on National
Cryptography Policy concluded, ``If cryptography can protect the trade secrets
and proprietary information of businesses and thereby reduce economic
espionage (which it can), it also supports in a most important manner the job
of law enforcement. If cryptography can help protect nationally critical
information systems and networks against unauthorized penetration (which it
can), it also supports the national security of the United States.''
- Second, if electronic commerce is to reach its true potential, consumers
and companies alike must have the confidence that their communications and
transactions will be secure. The SAFE Act, by allowing all Americans to use
the highest technology and strongest security available, will provide them
with that confidence.
- Third, with the availability of strong encryption overseas and on the
Internet, our current export controls only serve to tie the hands of American
business. According to a number of industry studies, failure to remove our
export controls will cost our economy hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens
of billions of dollars.
- The SAFE Act remedies this situation by allowing the export of generally
available encryption products without a license, and custom-designed
encryption products if they are approved for use by banks or are commercially
available from foreign companies. Removing these export barriers will free
U.S. industry to remain the world leader in software, hardware, and Internet
development. And by allowing the U.S. computer industry to use and export the
highest technology available with the strongest security features available,
America will be leading the way into the 21st century information age and
beyond.
- This bipartisan legislation enjoys the support of members and
organizations across the spectrum of all ideological and political beliefs.
Groups as varied as Americans for Computer Privacy, American Civil Liberties
Union, National Rifle Association, Law Enforcement Alliance of America,
Americans for Tax Reform, Netscape, America Online, Microsoft, Business
Software Alliance, Novell, Lotus, Adobe, Electronic Industries Alliance,
Software and Information Industry Association, Information Technology
Association of America, Citizens for a Sound Economy, Telecommunications
Industry Association, Computer Electronics Manufacturers Association, U.S.
Telephone Association, SBC Communications, Bell Atlantic, Bell South, U.S.
West, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Business Leadership Council, IBM,
Small Business Survival Committee, Sybase, RSA Data Security, Semiconductor
Industry Association, Telecommunications Industry Association, Center for
Democracy and Technology, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Direct Marketing
Association, American Financial Services Association, Intel, Compaq, Network
Associates, National Association of Manufacturers strongly support this
legislation, to name just a few.
- The SAFE Act enjoys this support not only because it is a common-sense
approach to solving a very immediate problem, but also because ordinary
Americans' personal privacy and computer security is being assaulted by this
Administration. Amazingly enough, the Administration wants to mandate a back
door into peoples' computer systems in order to access their private
information and confidential communications. In fact, the Administration has
said that if private citizens and companies do not ``voluntarily'' create this
back door, it will seek legislation forcing Americans to give the government
access to their information by means of a ``key escrow'' system requiring
computer users to put the keys to decode their encrypted communications into a
central data bank. This is the technological equivalent of mandating that the
federal government be given a key to every home in America.
- The SAFE Act, on the other hand, will prevent the Administration from
placing roadblocks on the information superhighway by prohibiting the
government from mandating a back door into the computer systems of private
citizens and businesses. Additionally, the SAFE Act ensures that all Americans
have the right to choose any security system to protect their confidential
information.
- Mr. Speaker, with the millions of communications, transmissions, and
transactions that occur on the Internet every day, American citizens and
businesses must have the confidence that their private information and
communications are safe and secure. That is precisely what the SAFE Act will
ensure. I urge each of my colleagues to join and support this bipartisan
effort.
- The original cosponsors are Representatives LOFGREN, ARMEY,
DELAY, WATTS, TOM DAVIS, COX, PRYCE,
BLUNT, GEPHARDT, BONIOR, FROST, DELAURO,
JOHN LEWIS, GEJDENSON, SENSENBRENNER, GEKAS,
COBLE, LAMAR SMITH, GALLEGLY, BRYANT,
CHABOT, BARR, HUTCHINSON, PEASE, CANNON,
ROGAN, BONO, BACHUS, CONYERS, FRANK,
BOUCHER, NADLER, JACKSON-LEE, WATERS,
MEEHAN, DELAHUNT, WEXLER, ACKERMAN,
ANDREWS, ARCHER, BALLENGER, BARCIA, BILL
BARRETT, TOM BARRETT, BARTON, BILBRAY,
BLUMENAUER, BOEHNER, KEVIN BRADY, ROBERT BRADY,
CORRINE BROWN, GEORGE BROWN, BURR, BURTON,
CAMP, CAMPBELL, CAPPS, CHAMBLISS,
CHENOWETH, CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSEN, CLAYTON,
CLEMENT, CLYBURN, COLLINS, COOK, COOKSEY,
CUBIN, CUMMINGS, CUNNINGHAM, DANNY DAVIS,
DEAL, DEFAZIO, DEUTSCH, DICKEY, DOOLEY,
DOOLITTLE, DOYLE, DREIER, DUNCAN, DUNN,
EHLERS, EMERSON, ENGLISH, ESHOO, EWING,
FARR, FILNER, FORD, FOSSELLA, FRANKS,
GILLMOR, GOODE, GOODLING, GORDON, GREEN,
GUTKNECHT, RALPH HALL, HASTINGS, HERGER,
HILL, HOBSON, HOEKSTRA, HOLDEN, HOOLEY,
HORN, HOUGHTON, INSLEE, ISTOOK, JACKSON,
JR., JEFFERSON, E.B. JOHNSON, NANCY JOHNSON,
KANJORSKI, KASICH, KELLY, KILPATRICK, KIND,
KINGSTON, KNOLLENBERG, KOLBE, LAMPSON,
LARGENT, LATHAM, LEE, RON LEWIS, LINDER,
FRANK LUCAS, LUTHER, KAREN MCCARTHY, MCDERMOTT,
MCGOVERN, MCINTOSH, MALONEY, MANZULLO,
MARKEY, MARTINEZ, MATSUI, MEEK, METCALF,
MICA, MILLENDER-MCDONALD, GEORGE MILLER, MOAKLEY,
JIM MORAN, MORELLA, MYRICK, NAPOLITANO,
NEAL, NETHERCUTT, NORWOOD, NUSSLE, OLVER,
PACKARD, PALLONE, PASTOR, COLLIN PETERSON,
PICKERING, POMBO, POMEROY, PRICE, QUINN,
RADANOVICH, RAHALL, RANGEL, REYNOLDS,
RIVERS, ROHRABACHER, ROS-LEHTINEN, RUSH,
SALMON, SANCHEZ, SANDERS, SANFORD,
SCARBOROUGH, SCHAFFER, SESSIONS, SHAYS,
SHERMAN, SHIMKUS, ADAM SMITH, CHRIS SMITH,
SOUDER, STABENOW, STARK, SUNUNU, TANNER,
TAUSCHER, TAUZIN, TAYLOR, THOMAS, THOMPSON,
THUNE, TIAHRT, TIERNEY, UPTON, VENTO,
WALSH, WAMP, WATKINS, WELLER, WHITFIELD,
WICKER, WOOLSEY, and WU.
END