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Disputes on Electronic Message Encryption Take on New Urgency

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

Authors: Schwartz, John

Published: September 2001

URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/25/business/disputes-on-electronic-message-encryption-take-on-new-urgency.html

Abstract: This article, Disputes on Electronic Message Encryption Take on New Urgency, written by John Schwartz and published in the New York Times shortly after 9/11, describes how the attack on the World Trade Center, and the possibility that the attackers used encrypted communications in the planning and execution of the attack, renewed debate on law enforcement access to encrypted technologies. The article describes the applicability of key escrow and the Clipper Chip to accessing encrypted communications, and legislative proposals for access proposed in the days after 9/11. This article describes the debate on law enforcement access and the balance of access and privacy in the time shortly after 9/11.