EFA Crypto Campaign

Last update: 30th January 1999

On 1st July 1998, EFA commenced a campaign aimed at ending current controls over the export of cryptography products and ensuring that no domestic controls over the use of cryptography are introduced.

• The Issues
  
• The Campaign
  
• Campaign Strategy
  
• Action to Date
  
• What You Can Do
  
• Background Information
  

• the current export controls are a failure because strong cryptography software is already widely available throughout the world.

• Australia is one of the few countries in the world that refuses to apply the Wassenaar Arrangement General Software Note waiver to the export of mass market and public domain crypto software.

• the current regulations impose unnecessary constraints and costs on business while doing little to achieve their aim of restricting availability of cryptographic software.

• the key escrow and key recovery technology currently encouraged as unofficial policy is fundamentably unworkable and a risk to data security.

• no objective case for the benefits of imposing such controls has been made public.

• current regulations are stifling Australian initiatives in developing secure communications protocols.

• the restrictions on deployment of strong cryptography increase the risk of criminal or terrorist attack on vital infrastructure such as banking, electricity supply etc.

• bring the crypto debate into the public arena.

• call on the Australian government to consult more widely on crypto policy.

• call on all political parties to commit to unrestricted use of strong cryptography both domestically and internationally.

• call on the government to:
  • Remove the arbitrary restriction on application of the General Software Note waiver. (This restriction excludes Category 5 Part 2 (i.e. cryptography) software from the General Software Note, which would otherwise allow the free export of mass market and public domain crypto software).

  • Support removal of crypto export restrictions from the Wassenaar Arrangement, which introduced new restrictions on mass market software in December 1998.

• Preparation and distribution of briefing materials to all Federal members of Parliament.

• Circulation of similar materials to the major parties.

• A media campaign, including release of a comprehensive FAQ on the issues.

• Follow-up lobbying of key MPs.

• An approach to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade to review Australia's position on the Wassenaar Arrangement in relation to cryptography.

• Liaison with other industry and user organisations opposed to the current crypto controls.

• Liaison with representatives of the various government agencies involved in cryptography regulation.

• Liaison with international civil liberties and privacy groups with the objective of organising an international effort to have commercial encryption products removed from the Wassenaar Arrengement.

30th June 1998
Media Release announcing the campaign.

1.

Join the EFA Crypto List - send email to crypto-request@lists.efa.org.au with the word "subscribe" in the body of the message.

2.

Write to your local member about the issue.

3.

Watch this page regularly for updated information.

Cryptography: Brute Force Attack
Is the Security of Australian business under attack from hackers and legislators alike?
LAN Magazine, Australia. June 1998.
    http://www.lanlive.com

Australian Controls on the Export of Defence and Strategic Goods
(Cryptography controls are included under part 2 of Category 5)
    http://iic.spirit.net.au/imat/publications/excontrl/excohome.htm

The Wassenaar Arrangement - relevant documents concerning cryptography.
    http://www.parrhesia.com/wassenaar/

The Wassenaar Arrangement Secretariat
    http://www.wassenaar.org

Review of policy relating to encryption technologies - the Walsh Report.
Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department 1996.
    http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Crypto/Walsh/

Crypto Politics. Electronic Frontiers Australia.
    http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Crypto/crypto2.html

Distributing encryption software by the Internet: Loopholes in Australian export controls.
Patrick Gunning, Mallesons Stephen Jacques, 1998.
    http://www2.austlii.edu.au/itlaw/articles/Gunning_Encryption.html

The Federal Coalition's Australia Online pre-election policy on privacy and commercial security.
    http://www.liberal.org.au/ARCHIVES/ONLINE/online.htm

The Risks of Key Recovery, Key Escrow, and Trusted Third Party Encryption.
A Report by an Ad Hoc Group of Cryptographers and Computer Scientists, 1998.
    http://www.crypto.com/key_study

Cryptography's Role in Securing the Information Society.
National Research Council, USA, 1996.
    http://www.replay.com/mirror/nrc/

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