The Position in Germany and Ireland on GAK

[Axel H Horns]

On 2 Jun 00, at 18:25, Brian Gladman wrote:

> The position on Ireland is outstanding but I now have a definitive
> position from senior officials in Germany:
> 
> 1. The German government does not consider that access to keys is
> necessary for law enforcement purposes.
> 
> 2. The German government has NO plans for ANY legislation that would
> provide for law enforcement access to keys.
> 
> 3. The German government policy is one of encouraging the development
> and use of open source encryption products in support of the safety,
> security and privacy of citizens and businesses located in Germany.

This is surely correct. 

However, I am convinced that law enforcers all over the EU are 
looking at the UK and the RIP bill; they will draw their own 
conclusions at a certain time when it has become clear whether or not 
RIP is "workable" in some technical sense; cf.  

<http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3H4NZI
X8C>

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[...]

The British measures are likely to have repercussions round the 
world. "The UK is acting as a stalking horse for an awful lot of 
other countries - most of the rest of Europe is looking at what 
happens here," says Peter Sommer, a research fellow at the London 
School of Economics.  

They also foreshadow debate in the US on the Cyberspace Electronic 
Security Act, currently before Congress. This legislation, allowing 
law enforcement agencies access to decryption keys, is expected to 
encounter tough opposition from privacy campaigners, even though most 
critics believe it is less draconian than the UK proposals.  

[...]

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Axel H Horns