[wordup] change of heart?

[Adam Shand]

Via: "McDaniel, John" <jmcdaniel at ameritrade.com>

This was on memepool Friday.  Here's an excerpt from a paper titled "KEEP
BIG BROTHER'S HANDS OFF THE INTERNET" by the then Senator Ashcroft from
1997.  Everyone is entitled to change their mind I guess.

From: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/1097/ijge/gj-7.htm

...

The Clinton administration would like the Federal government to have the
capability to read any international or domestic computer communications.
The FBI wants access to decode, digest, and discuss financial transactions,
personal e-mail, and proprietary information sent abroad -- all in the name
of national security. To accomplish this, President Clinton would like
government agencies to have the keys for decoding all exported U.S. software
and Internet communications. 

This proposed policy raises obvious concerns about Americans' privacy, in
addition to tampering with the competitive advantage that our U.S. software
companies currently enjoy in the field of encryption technology. Not only
would Big Brother be looming over the shoulders of international
cyber-surfers, but the administration threatens to render our
state-of-the-art computer software engineers obsolete and unemployed.

There is a concern that the Internet could be used to commit crimes and that
advanced encryption could disguise such activity. However, we do not provide
the government with phone jacks outside our homes for unlimited wiretaps.
Why, then, should we grant government the Orwellian capability to listen at
will and in real time to our communications across the Web?

...