The first thing that I wanted to do in preparing for this assignment was to understand the concerns of industry and the general public. I've had the pleasure of meeting with dozens of US and foreign industry leaders and representitives - not only those in the encryption business per se, but others in the field of electronic commerce, telecommunications, finance and other industries for which secure communications are essential. They have all impressed upon me the crucial importance of robust encryption for the future of their enterprises. Businesses are increasingly reliant on private networks and the internet for their communications and operations. As proprietary information and intellectual property is transmitted over these networks, it must be protected by strong encryption.
Business is also increasingly multinational in nature.
Thus, any system of encryption must be able to operate across national borders. Businesses are becoming more aware of the need to recover encrypted files. Companies simply cannot risk loss of access to their valuable intellectual property because of lost passwords, accidents or, a rogue employee. I have also had the opportunity to meet with representatives of privacy groups. They point out that every day our citizens are electronically transmitting more and more sensitive personal data, including medical, health, and financial information.