Ireland's encryption policy

[Ian BROWN]

>From today's Guardian Online:

"Announcing the most liberal national policy yet on the encoding of data sent 
over the Internet, the Irish government last week showed it has every 
intention of being an international centre for electronic commerce. Ireland 
listened to its many resident technology companies, rather than bowing to 
pressure from the US, which wants access to encrypted messages."

Shame the UK government can't manage the same. MIT seem to have made the right 
decision to site their European research centre in Dublin rather than London :(

"Ireland places no restrictions on the use, import or export of encryption 
products. Individuals can choose to offer a plain text version of the 
encrypted document or hand over a key, if a search warrant is proffered.

The document was released to coincide with the Irish visit of President 
Clinton's Internet tsar, senior trade advisor Ira Magaziner, who hinted that 
his views on encryption diverge from those of his boss. 'Within the next year, 
there'll be such an availability of high-level encryption that the market will 
take over,' he said."

The European Commission should have a similar document ready for any further 
'crypto tsar' visits.

Ian :D