The encryption debate has revolved around the
permanent conflict when issues of industrial competitiveness and personal privacy, clash
with the interests of national security and law enforcement.
Often there is mistrust felt by civilians and corporations against state mandate to
cryptanalyze several encrypted information.
USA
In view of the American government’s firsthand experience of the potential power of
encryption in large-scale confrontations such as the World War II, it is thus understood
why many governments are keen upon monitoring public dissemination and use of encryption
techniques. It was first reflected in the establishment of Computer Security Act of the US
Congress of 1987, where a Computer System Security and Privacy The first disparity
occurred in 1993, between the US government and citizens who felt that certain human
rights of theirs have been violated by imposing Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES) for
privately used keys. While this may not seem to be an action that is anything but
politically motivated, to some this may pose threat to scientific freedom.
Recently, US Congress has brought two more issues into the policy discussion:
scientific freedom to conduct and express cryptographic research, and human rights
applications of cryptographic technologies. USA wants to retain ‘surveillance
capability’ over commercial message channel. Potential adversary may build a network
of communication under private commercial cover.
Europe
In liberal Europe, private scientific research into encryption, does not seem to be a
potential concern to many countries, even though both Britain and France possess a pretty
tight policy concerning public cryptography.
‘Euro-Encryption’ was under discussion by European Union in 1994, to
synchronise the interests of the state authorities with the demand for a reasonable degree
of scientific freedom to pursue intellectual research into cryptography
Others
Other countries beyond the sphere of North America and Europe have not seem to pay
particular concern over the use of encryption. This could perhaps be attributed to the
fact that outside the regions mentioned, there have not been any significant localised
development of encryption techniques. The level of use of computers may not have reached a
stage where governments should start to take action in regulating encryption.
Introduction to
USA