There is good news for online (and otherwise) privacy advocates Wednesday: The Clinton Administration is expected to announce more freedom for American companies to send privacy-protecting encryption products abroad.
American high-techs had long argued the incumbent Clinton policy limiting encryption exports was harming American businesses. The expected Clinton announcement isn't exactly a complete relaxation of all restrictions but a compromise the White House is gambling the high-techs can accept, which includes provisions for protecting "critical infrastructure" and putting more power in federal law enforcement.
Not only have American law officers opposed relaxing encryption software exports or other wide distribution, the FBI has even sought to make it criminal for Americans to sell it domestically.
And the compromise is far from perfect from some points of view. It still includes continued government review of exports and limits on keeping "undesirable" final users - like terrorists - from getting crypto software and hardware. And the Clinton Administration may still push to let federal law enforcement get court permission to unlock encrypted communications.
Which is one reason why privacy advocates are not exactly encouraged all the way by the Clinton compromise. The Electronic Privacy Information Center calls it an incremental improvement which still doesn't come to the questions of academic distribution away from mass markets or of innovations in crypto development.
