US software developers including Apple Computer Inc, Microsoft Corp and Sun Microsystems Inc have locked horns with the Bush administration over the issue of encryption, reports the New York Times. Once the preserve of diplomats, military and spies, the technology is potentially available to anyone possessing an encryption chip. Virtually all forms of information, be they cellular telephone calls, television programmes or computerised records, can be translated into digital form and protected with uncrackable codes. The US Congress is reconsidering proposals giving intelligence officials greater ability to monitor the use of encryption by businesses and individuals – to the distress of the large computer companies that oppose the move. Vendors argue that government efforts at stalling encryption development are detrimental to their commercial prospects, especially given the lack of constraints imposed on foreign counterparts creating similar technology. The move is also opposed by the US banking industry, which fears that extended legislation could compromise the security of its computerised transactions. The government is insisting that the inconvenience and cost to business is an appropriate sacrifice for the maintenance of law and order – but it has a battle on its hands. Already, a considerable threat to the National Security Agency’s control is posed by a commercial package called Cryptos which has been developed by Russian programmers and obtained by the computer industry body Information Technology Group of America. Cryptos, which runs under MS-DOS, encodes data to the National Security Agency-approved United States Data Encryption Standard, is widely available in Moscow software stores for around $200.
