The Position in Germany and Ireland on GAK

[Chris Sundt]

-----Original Message-----
From: Axel H Horns <horns@t-online.de>
To: ukcrypto@maillist.ox.ac.uk <ukcrypto@maillist.ox.ac.uk>
Date: 03 June 2000 09:31
Subject: Re: The Position in Germany and Ireland on GAK


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.

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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

Note that the draft of the Council of Europe Convention on Cyber Crime
currently shows the Interception sections as "to follow". It will be
interesting to see what they look like when published and what real impact
on national laws this Convention has when agreed.

Chris Sundt