Encryption: hot topic on the Hill

✍ Scribed by Ben McClure

• Book ID: 104298190
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 126 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0167-4048
• DOI: 10.1016/s0167-4048(97)87595-5

✦ Synopsis

That ain't no standard spec, Friedman Mutthew.The Secure Electronic Transactions (SET) specification may have already run its course. Merchants and bankers say that the technology is seriously flawed, warning that the SET specification does not guarantee compatibility across vendor implementations and that it is too complex to integrate with legacy transaction systems. The SET initiative has been likened to the Unix and modem markets, both of which are inundated with incompatible platforms. Microsoft and Netscape are not expected to support SET in their browsers before the technology matures. Despite the slow acceptance of SET, its sponsors are already talking about SET version 2.0. Internet Week, 24 November 1997, p. 12.

Dutch move to block French crypt0 laws, Kenneth Cukier. Dutch officials are using a technical procedure in the European Commission to stall French legislation intended to liberalize cryptography regulation in France.The Dutch claim that France's rules violate European open market principles. The proposed French legislation demands that all encryption users, including multinational corporations, hand over private keys capable of decrypting data to governmentapproved trusted third parties. Companies may also be required to reveal the source code of the cryptographic products before receiving approval. French PM Jospin has said that encryption liberalization is a top priority, and has set up a group to work on electronic commerce issues. However, France is the only European state demanding key escrow.