Law-enforcement advocates say the government should maintain export limits and maybe even impose restrictions on domestic use of strong encryption. Our selection of opinion pieces and Web links offers other perspectives, as does our ongoing online discussion . To decipher an encrypted message by brute force, one would need to try every possible key. A 56-bit key creates 72 quadrillion possible combinations. But because of export rules, Netscape can provide overseas users only with browsers that employ much weaker encryption.
Encryption software can also use keys in different ways.
With single-key encryption, both the sender and receiver use the same key to encrypt and decrypt messages. But that means the sender has to get the key to the receiver somehow, without it being intercepted. The debate over encryption has fractured party lines, and has even put top level Clinton administration officials at odds with each other. For Restrictions FBI Director Louis Freeh is the most outspoken advocate of encryption restrictions. He argues that the capability to conduct court-authorized electronic surveillance should be built into any technology, including powerful encryption software.