Patty Murray: “I want to thank Senator Leahy, Senator Burns and Senator Ashcroft as well as Senator Lott and Senator Daschle for their…”

“I want to thank Senator Leahy, Senator Burns and Senator Ashcroft as well as Senator Lott and Senator Daschle for their work and leadership on the issue of encryption. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of S. 2067, the E-PRIVACY Act. This is my sixth year as a member of the Senate and the sixth year I have advocated for reasonable legislation on encryption. Sadly, the Administration has not been a constructive player in this debate. It is time for the United States to acknowledge that we no longer exclusively control the pace of technology. Purchasers around the world can download software off of the Internet from any country by simply accessing a website. Foreign purchasers have turned to Russian, German, Swiss and other foreign vendors for their encryption needs. Washington state and American companies deserve the opportunity to compete free from unreasonable government restrictions. Their role in the international marketplace should be determined by their ingenuity and creativity rather than an outdated, ineffectual system of export controls. The time to act is now. I urge the Senate to consider the E- PRIVACY Act at the earliest opportunity.”