Our members created ACP to focus on issues at the intersection of electronic information and communications, privacy rights, law enforcement, and national security. A list of our membership is attached to my testimony.
Encryption is an essential component of information security.
ACP supports policies that advance the rights of American citizens to encode information without fear of government intrusion, and advocates the lifting of export restrictions on U.S.-made encryption products The Administration's January 14th policy announcement represents a substantive improvement over the prior encryption export policy and a significant movement toward leveling the playing field between U.S. and foreign manufacturers of encryption products. ACP wishes to express its gratitude to the Congress and the Administration for its far-sighted support for liberalization of U.S. encryption export policy. But more needs to be done. Protecting the critical information infrastructure is essential for U.S. national security, American economic welfare, and our fundamental freedoms. ACP strongly believes that a voluntary cooperative partnership between government and industry is the only approach that can succeed in protecting critical information infrastructure.