Without goin' to jail. The conference kicked off with a series of panels and presentations exploring many of the issues central to the continued growth in Internet communication and Internet-based commerce. Federal government restrictions on exports of encryption and attempted efforts at domestic controls. Expansion in the need for security systems and interoperability among public key infrastructures. The impact of computer security on business.
Customer needs in a rapidly changing market.
The United States is one of the few countries to maintain controls on encryption firms. Because 1997 was the most intensive legislative year ever for the security industry, the issue shadowed much of the conference discussion on Tuesday, starting with the surprise keynote addresses by three federal legislators closely allied against Clinton administration initiatives that would curtail the industry. But she took heart in that solutions were being pursued on a bipartisan basis. All three legislators urged more active support for the SAFE bill, that would loosen existing encryption export controls. The bill has wide support in the House of Representatives and is expected to reach a vote by the early spring.