Mr. Chairman, the goals of ensuring the availability of strong encryption and of ensuring that law enforcement can continue to be effective are not mutually exclusive. We can do both. Encryption is the ability to protect stored data and information being communicated on electronic networks. By using mathematical algorithms to encode information, a sender can scramble information so that only the intended recipient can decode it. Just as an individual who mails a letter today puts it in an envelope to ensure its privacy from prying eyes, a computer user can envelop a message sent via a computer system to ensure it won't be read by anyone who should not.
Encryption is a basic technology that is in great demand.
Computer users world-wide want to be able to protect the confidentiality of their computer communications. Americans currently enjoy the right to use any level of encryption we might choose. That is a right that I have been working to protect. However, the Administration's antiquated export controls are jeopardizing this right. Although computer users are demanding strong encryption, American businesses can't sell that strong encryption outside of the United States.