🚀 go-pugleaf

Once Bush and his colleagues from the CIA leave office in January,
it seems likely to me that the US crypto export laws might be
eased or lifted, as Clinton is probably less paranoid than Bush
about crypto.  Does anyone know what Clinton's position is on
crypto issues, or have any guesses as to whether he might bow to
the pressure from computer companies that want to export
hardware/software with real security features?  (Could crypto issues
have even motivated the Clinton endorsements by many prominant
figures in the computer industry?)

I would imagine that the political changes might also indirectly affect
the public key patents.  After Clinton takes over, apparently there
will be a large number of federal judgeships open, and I would guess
that Clinton's appointees might be more likely to declare the RSA
patents invalid (on the grounds that algorithms aren't patentable)
than the Bush/Reagan judges have been.

Anyone have additional ideas about these guesses?

Paul Kocher

P.S.  Does anyone know whether crypto exports to Britain and Canada
are still prohibited?

________Paul C. Kocher, Box 13554, Stanford, CA 94309, 415/497-6589_________
kocherp@leland.stanford.edu (preferred), root@kocher.stanford.edu.  Contract
programming work sought to help pay my tuition (PC assembly, security, etc)!