Without robust tools, no one can be assured that their online activities remain private and that their online transactions are trustworthy. Companies are rapidly developing innovative technologies and applications for use on public networks and users are just as rapidly integrating these capabilities into their everyday lives. To ensure that this market continues to grow, consumer concerns like privacy, authentication and security must be addressed. Without encryption, we simply can't do it. We must be able to use and widely deploy encryption if we are to help users protect against the inherent vulnerabilities of public networks.
Current policy puts U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage.
Second, U.S. policy puts U.S. companies like mine at a competitive disadvantage compared to our foreign counterparts. This is an issue that affects us directly at Privada. Because of the current export controls, U.S. companies face restrictions which prevent them from offering competitive products in the global marketplace - restrictions which foreign competitors do not face. Internet users, whether corporate or individual, are sufficiently sophisticated to seek and demand robust encryption tools in the products they use to facilitate their own online activities. Companies that cannot offer these features face an uphill battle in an extremely competitive marketplace.