Standards Setting and Federal Information Policy: The Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES)

Tags: 1990s Crypto Wars Crypto Wars I Encryption Standards

Authors: Gegner, Karen E. and Veeder, Stacy B.

Published: January 1994

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0740624X94900183

Abstract: The controversial Escrowed Encryption Standard, recently adopted as a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), has polarized some stakeholders both within and outside government and has also raised disturbing questions about the role of Federal agencies in the standards-setting process. This article explores the relationship between standards and Federal information policy and examines the balance between national security and law enforcement concerns, on the one hand, and privacy rights and U.S. economic competitiveness, on the other.