RE: SFL and the change in US Encryption policy

Ian,

Thank you very much for your message.  We would certainly welcome a change
to the regulations limiting the distribution of the SFL.  The STATEMENT BY
THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY, Administration Announces New Approach to
Encryption, September 16, 1999
(http://www.bxa.doc.gov/Encryption/WHPressEnc.htm) is certainly encouraging.
It is too early to tell if this will change the export status of the SFL.
After the proposed policy changes become law (planned for December 15,
1999), then we will request that the US Government re-examine their position
on limiting the distribution of the SFL.  In other words, we will encourage
the US Government to make the SFL source code exportable under a license
exception.

Thanks again,
============================================
John Pawling, Director - Systems Engineering
J.G. Van Dyke & Associates, Inc.,
a Wang Government Services Company
[email protected]
============================================ 


-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Bell [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 1999 12:05 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: SFL and the change in US Encryption policy



>               Update to Encryption Policy
>                     September 1999
>                  Questions and Answers 


> 8. Is source code allowed to be exported under a license exception or
> does this policy only authorize the export of encryption object code? 
>
>       Source code will continue to be reviewed under a case-by-case 
>       basis. This update will allow the global export of object code 
>       encryption software under a license exception


Does anyone on this list know of the US Government's intention with
regard to the export of the SFL source code outside US/Canada?

The desire to make S/MIME 3 "the standard security protocol for
protecting data communicated across the Internet" is currently
undermined by the proliferation of weak crypto outside the US. 

Will anyone in the US (the developers of SFL, IMC,...) be 'encouraging'
the US Government to make the SFL source code to be exportable under a
licence exception?

We would be very interested in the possibility of using the SFL but,
being UK based, are currently unable to do so.

-- 
Ian Bell                                           T U R N P I K E  Ltd