Encryption is the ability to scramble data so an unauthorized party has a hard time listening in. Encryption software helps to preserve the sender’s privacy. It gives the sender some reassurance that their freedom of speech and privacy (freedom from prying eyes) are protected.
Encryption software allows the user to transmit their data to another party. When the party on the receiving end opens the communications, they can decrypt the message. Prior to decryption, the message would be unreadable by most because it is in a scrambled form.
At one point, an executive order was issued by President Clinton limiting the exportation of encryption software for national security reasons. The governments thinking was that the use of encryption software would hamper law enforcement and intelligence-gathering abilities.
For a complete discussion and to gain a better understanding of why the government wanted to ban encryption software products look up http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/cryptfaq.htm. This web site explains in detail law enforcement’s point of view. For example, one question asked –
Isn’t the government overstating the threat to our national security?
Their answer includes the following:
Not at all, law enforcement has already confronted encryption in high profile espionage, terrorist, and criminal cases. They cite the following examples:
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1. An international terrorist was plotting to blow up 11 U.S. owned commercial airliners in the Far East. His laptop computer, which was seized during his arrest in Manila, contained encrypted files concerning this terrorist plot.
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2. A subject in a child pornography case used encryption in transmitting obscene and pornographic images of children over the Internet.
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3. A major international drug trafficking subject recently used a telephone encryption device to frustrate court-approved electronic surveillance.
They state that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Convicted spy Aldrich Ames, was told by the Russian Intelligence Service to encrypt computer file information that was to be passed to it.
The Internet community still believes the government’s initiatives are infringements upon their 1st and 4th Amendment rights. They argue that the encryption restriction limits their free speech and ability to send communications over the Internet which would remain private.