lynx-dev Land of the Free

[purslow]

`Peace, Order & Good Government' is Canada's motto,
but we sometimes get a ration of Liberty too:

Financial Times (London) 981001
   
Canada liberalises encryption -- Edward Alden & Scott Morrison, Toronto

Canada yesterday said it would not impose restrictions on domestic use
& importation of encryption technologies, to help Canadian companies
take a lead in developing e-commerce applications; it will also speed up
export permits for encryption technology, while maintaining Canada's
international commitments, & leave companies free to use whatever products
they choose domestically.

The USA restricts exports of mass-market encryption software, while Canada has
no similar restriction.  The US government proposed requiring companies
to hand keys to encrypted information to a 3rd party, where it could
be accessed by US law-enforcement officials, but Canada will keep keys
in the hands of individual companies, available to police only with warrants.

Federal Industry Minister John Manley said it is a balanced approach
that would allow e-commerce to expand, while enabling law-enforcement
& national-security agencies to ensure public safety.
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