Despite heavy lobbying from President Clinton’s administration, his security advisors and federal agencies, the house international Relation committee this week approved a bill that would remove export controls on encryption technology. The committee rejected an amendment by New York Republican representative Benjamin Gilman that would have permitted the President a veto to block export of software containing encryption technology. The bill had the support of more than 190 representatives who believe – along with almost the entire computer industry – that the US export policy is antiquated and unworkable. However, the battle is far from over. The bill, sponsored by Virginian Republican bob Goodlatte, has a long way to go. It has three more House committee referrals to get through, and perhaps more importantly, it faces competition from a bill currently going through the Senate, which is backed by the Clinton administration. The bill, sponsored by Bob Kerrey, a Nebrsakan Democrat and John McCain, a Republican from Arizona calls for retaining some export controls and creating a key recovery system, in other words pretty much the situation now.
