Press Release of Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT).
Re: Introduction of the PROTECT Act, an encryption bill.
Date: April 14, 1999.
Source: Office of Sen. Conrad Burns.

For immediate release:
Wednesday, April 14, 1999

Burns, McCain PROTECT Internet
Senators Optimistic About Chance for Real Encryption Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Montana Senator Conrad Burns and Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) today introduced the Promote Reliable On Line Transactions To Encourage Commerce and Trade (PROTECT) Act of 1999, which reforms software encryption standards.

Burns cosponsored McCain's bill after pushing for encryption reform for the past four years. The bill prohibits domestic controls of encrypted software, immediately decontrols encryption products using key lengths of 64 bits or less, and permits the export of 128-bit encryption to a broad group of legitimate and responsible commercial users. Burns said he was encouraged that McCain had chosen to introduce PROTECT and would work to see it passed.

"We live in a world where more and more people are using computers, and most of those computers are connected to one another," Burns said. "This phenomenon holds the promise of transforming life in states like Montana, where health care and state-of-the-art education can be delivered over networks to people located far away from urban areas. However, these technologies can only improve people's lives if information moving over networks is secure.

"PROTECT reflects a number of discussions Chairman McCain and I have had this year about the importance of encryption in the digital age. Encryption is necessary to promote electronic commerce, secure our confidential business and personal information, and bolster our national security by protecting commercial information systems and electronic networks upon which America's critical infrastructures rely."

Both computer privacy proponents and software industry representatives have welcomed the bill as a good first step to encryption reform.

"We are encouraged that Senators Burns and McCain, two leaders on technology issues, are working together to move an encryption reform bill in this Congress," said Ed Gillespie, executive director of Americans for Computer Privacy.

"The introduction of the PROTECT Act today indicates that the U.S. Senate has formally entered the debate on encryption export policy and intends to be an active and full participant on this important public policy initiative," Robert Holleyman, president and CEO of the Business Software Alliance, said. "Senator Burns, in particular, has been a strong supporter of relaxing encryption export controls in the past. We are encouraged that Senator Burns and other prominent members of the U.S. Senate have agreed to champion this issue."

Burns is chairman of the Senate Communications Subcommittee, which oversees many Internet issues.