Congress Mulls Stiff Crypto Laws

Tags: 2000s 9/11 Crypto Wars Crypto Wars II National Security Terrorism

Authors: McCullagh, Declan

Published: September 2001

URL: https://www.wired.com/2001/09/congress-mulls-stiff-crypto-laws/

Abstract: On September 13, 2001, Wired published an article about the impact of 9/11 terrorist attacks on the encryption debate, and declared that “[t]he encryption wars have begun”. The article claims that the balance of the debate between privacy and security “abruptly shifted” in the wake of 9/11, and that “political winds have shifted from business to national security”. The article discusses various Clinton Administration initiatives related to encryption, and highlighted quotes from Congress members who “called for a global prohibition on encryption products without backdoors for government surveillance”. It also conveyed the concerns of business and privacy groups who rebutted the notion that weakening encryption will address national security issues.