Patrick Leahy: “in the 104th Congress, a bipartisan group of Senators came together to overhaul our country's outdated export rules and…”

“in the 104th Congress, a bipartisan group of Senators came together to overhaul our country's outdated export rules and bring some sense to our country's encryption policy. We are back at it again in this Congress. I am pleased to introduce with Senator Burns, and others, two encryption bills, the Encrypted Communications Privacy Act [ECPA] and Promotion of Commerce On-Line in the Digital Era [PRO-CODE] Act. This legislation bars government-mandated key recovery, or key escrow encryption, and ensures that all computer users are free to choose any encryption method to protect the privacy of their online communications and computer files. These bills also roll back current restrictions on the export of strong cryptography so that high-tech U.S. firms are free to compete in the global marketplace and meet the demands of customers--both foreign and domestic--for strong encryption. As an avid Internet user myself, I care deeply about protecting individual privacy and encouraging the development of the Internet as a secure and trusted communications medium.”