IP: RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE FREEDOM TO USE CRYPTOGRAPHY

[Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

  RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE FREEDOM TO USE CRYPTOGRAPHY
  
   
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    25 SEPTEMBER 1996
    PARIS, FRANCE
    
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
   WHEREAS the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
   (OECD) is now considering the development of an international policy
   for the use of cryptography;
   
   WHEREAS the use of cryptography implicates human rights and matters of
   personal liberty that affect individuals around the world;
   
   WHEREAS national governments have already taken steps to detain and to
   harass user and developers of cryptography technology;
   
   WHEREAS cryptography is already in use by human rights advocates who
   face persecution by their national governments;
   
   WHEREAS the privacy of communication is explicitly protected by
   Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 17 of
   the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and national
   law;
   
   WHEREAS cryptography will play an increasingly important role in the
   ability of citizens to protect their privacy in the Information
   Society;
   
   RECOGNIZING that the OECD has made many substantial contributions to
   the preservation of human rights and the protection of privacy in
   particular;
   
   FURTHER RECOGNIZING that decisions about cryptography policy may gives
   rise to communication networks that favor privacy or favor
   surveillance;
   
   FURTHER RECOGNIZING that the promotion of key escrow encryption by
   government poses a direct threat to the privacy rights of citizens;
   
   THE FOLLOWING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, concerned with
   matters of human rights, civil liberty, and personal freedom, have
   joined together to
   
   
   
     URGE the OECD to base its cryptography policies on the fundamental
     right of citizens to engage in private communication;
     
     FURTHER URGE the OECD to resist policies that would encourage the
     development of communication networks designed for surveillance; and
     
     RECOMMEND that the OECD turn its attention to growing public
     concerns about the widespread use of surveillance technologies and
     the implications for Democratic Society and Personal Liberty around
     the world.
     
   
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   RESPECTFULLY ENDORSED,
     * ALCEI (Electronic Frontiers Italy)
       
     * American Civil Liberties Union
       
     * Association des Utilisateurs d'Internet
       
     * CITADEL-EF France
       
     * Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
       
     * cyberPOLIS
       
     * Digital Citizens Foundation in the Netherlands
       
     * EFF-Austin
       
     * Electronic Frontier Australia
       
     * Electronic Frontier Canada
       
     * Electronic Frontier Foundation
       
     * Electronic Privacy Information Center
       
     * Human Rights Watch
       
     * NetAction
       
     * Privacy International
       
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