With strong encryption, that's how. And the current export controls are threatening the health of the very industry in which the protection of our critical infrastructure relies. We do not believe we have all the answers to questions about national security, but ACP strongly believes that our long term national security objectives can only be achieved if the United States realistically acknowledges the inevitability of a world of ubiquitous, strong encryption. Trying to control the proliferation of encryption is like trying to control the proliferation of mathematics. For that is what we are talking about here.
Encryption algorithms are nothing but sophisticated mathematics.
And while the United States may realistically hope to remain the leader in such a field, it cannot realistically expect to monopolize it. Continued reliance on limited availability of strong encryption without the development of alternative sources and means will seriously harm law enforcement and national security. We have been cooperating with law enforcement agencies on these projects in an educational sense, and we are pleased with the development of this forward-thinking strategy. These views may deserve further exploration, and ACP wants to play a leading role in crafting industry cooperation. ACP wishes to emphasize that it recognizes a legitimate governmental need to obtain access to the plain text of communications when authorized by proper legal authority.