FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 15, 1999	(202) 879-9344
CEOs Applaud Administration's Action on Encryption
Washington, D.C. -- The Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP), a coalition of chief executive officers from America"s leading information technology companies, welcomed the Clinton Administration"s steps to remove critical barriers to the export of strong encryption around the world - measures that will reassert U.S. leadership in Internet security. "The Administration"s statement promises sweeping reform," said Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., chairman and CEO of IBM and chairman of CSPP. "If the new policy is fully implemented this year, it will bring about a world of near universal encryption. As a natural outgrowth of this announcement, it is appropriate now to conform the existing law enforcement authority of the physical world to that of the networked world." Accordingly, CSPP will review the Administration"s legislative proposal and will work actively with the Administration, Congress and other interested parties to see that the concerns of law enforcement are appropriately addressed, while ensuring that the latest encryption technology continues to enhance Internet security -- helping Americans realize the full benefits of electronic commerce. "We applaud the Administration"s recognition that the universal use of strong encryption will promote the benefits of a networked world while protecting Americans" privacy, safety and security," said Scott McNealy, president and chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems, Inc. and co-chair of CSPP"s Technology Controls Committee. "These changes come at a time when other countries are moving forward with far-reaching reforms. This move will help position the U.S. to keep pace with or stay ahead of those changes. In the context of sweeping encryption reform, it makes sense to clarify law enforcement"s constitutional authority." CSPP will work actively with the Administration to fully implement the encryption export control policy by December 15, 1999. CSPP is the information technology industry"s leading advocacy organization comprised exclusively of CEOs. Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer International Business Machines Corp. is chairman of the coalition, which has worked to develop and advocate the IT industry"s public policy positions on technology and trade issues. Currently, the CEOs of CSPP are focused on such issues as export controls, Internet taxation, encryption, international trade and electronic commerce. Founded in 1989, CSPP is comprised of 11 CEOs. The following are the current CSPP members: Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of International Business Machines Corp. and chairman of CSPP; Robert Bishop, chairman and chief executive officer of SGI; Michael Capellas, president and chief executive officer of Compaq Computer Corporation; John T. Chambers, president and chief executive officer of Cisco Systems, Inc; Michael S. Dell, chairman and chief executive officer of Dell Computer Corporation; Carly Fiorina, president and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard Company; Andrew S. Grove, chairman of Intel Corporation; Richard A. McGinn, chairman and chief executive officer of Lucent Technologies; Scott G. McNealy, president and chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems, Inc; Lars Nyberg, chairman and chief executive officer of NCR Corporation; Lawrence A. Weinbach, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Unisys Corporation.