The Next Great Wall Essay -- Encryption Technology Essays

The Next Great Wall The attacks of September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center triggered the passing of the USA Patriot Act â€Å"to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes."1 It passed quickly and with little debate. Soon, encryption of information became a topic to address and efforts took place to allow the government backdoor access to anything encrypted by products developed within the United States. This generated much controversy and was opposed by many organizations. It did not take long before the supporters of these encryption bills backed down. The Chinese government, on the other hand, did not go through such a process. Restrictions on encryption technology imported to or developed within China have been put forth. Their attempts at such control contrast what the United States considers is a denial of our rights to privacy even when addressing national security. The U.S. has acknowledged the significance of supporting free encryption policies while China’s restrictions have shown they are even more limiting, unenforceable and morally wrong in how it affects its citizens as well as its international neighbors. U.S. Policies Addressing encryption technology over the last 5 years has been a challenge for establishing policy in the United States. Development of advanced encryption technology heightened towards the end of the 20th century and questions on its usage soon came into play. On February 23, 1999, the Security and Freedom Through Encryption (SAFE) Act was introduced â€Å"to affirm the rights of United States persons to use and sell encryption and to relax export controls on encryption."2 In addition, o... ...urnal. (back) Moore, Tim (2003), IEEE P802.11 Wireless LANs Draft 5.1, Retrieved February 7, 2004, from the World Wide Web: IEEE (MS Word Document). (back) CNET Asia Staff (2003), China Wi-Fi codes to be controlled by 11 firms, Retrieved January 25, 2004, from the World Wide Web: CNet News. (back) Freeman, Charles W. III (2004), Deputy Assistant USTR Feb. 5 Testimony, Retrieved February 7, 2004 from the World Wide Web: USInfo.State.Gov. (back) Shim, Richard (2003), China Implements new Wi-Fi security standard, Retrieved January 25, 2004 from the World Wide Web: CNet News. (back) Shim, Richard (2003), China Implements new Wi-Fi security standard, Retrieved January 25, 2004 from the World Wide Web: CNet News. (back) Gossett, Sherie (2002), e-Freedom fighters forge new weapon, Retrieved February 7, 2004 from the World Wide Web: World Net Daily. (back)