WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration on Jan. 14 relaxed rules restricting the export of encryption products to allow them to be sold to nongovernmental entities after a one-time review.
Encryption is technology used to scramble computer data. The computer industry has been trying for years to get export controls on encryption technology relaxed, but the FBI and the National Security Agency have resisted.
This latest move by the White House overrules law enforcement concerns. The Bureau of Export Administration still will review encryption products being sold to governmental entities, and restrictions remain for seven countries, including Cuba and Iraq.
The new regulations mean that proposed legislation that has been strenuously pushed by the high-tech industry to eliminate the export restrictions is now on hold while Congress evaluates the effectiveness of the new rules.
The debate over encryption products has been waging since 1996, when the administration moved encryption export control policy from the jurisdiction of the Department of State to the Commerce Department. This move resulted in an export control policy that said U.S. computer companies could not export encryption products with bit strengths greater than 56 bits with restrictions and 40 bits without restrictions. These bit strengths are considered weak by the computer industry, which has developed products with bit strengths of 128.
