NYU School Of Law To Hold Encryption Symposium

The Journal of Legislation and Public Policy at New York University School of Law will host a symposium on Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 entitled "The Role of Encryption Technology in Business, Law Enforcement, and Constitutional Analysis." It will be held at: New York University School of Law, D'Agostino Hall, Martin Lipton Hall, 110 West Third Street from 1:00 to 5:00 PM.. Admisson is free for students and faculty. $10 for everyone else.

Representatives from the Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Justice will argue that it is necessary for the government to control the "keys" to encrypted on-line communications. Representatives from the private sector, as well as law professors, will defend private individuals’ economic and constitutional interests in access to encryption technology.

Law enforcement organizations and the national security community are currently at odds with businesses and privacy interest groups over the future of encryption policy. For example, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is seeking ways to deal with encrypted drug trafficking messages, while at the same time American businesses complain that current regulations on encryption technology are so restrictive that they are unable to compete in the global market.

Congress has been debating legislation which would give more privacy protection to individuals by allowing increased use of encryption technology by private citizens. The resolution, however, has encountered strong opposition from the FBI and the Justice Department. In addition to legislative action, two federal district courts have arrived at opposing holdings regarding the constitutional protection afforded to encryption technology.

The first panel will discuss "The Future of Encryption Technology in Business and Law Enforcement." Panelists will include Marc Friedman (partner at Friedman Siegelbaum), Jack Rohmer (Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge at the Secret Service), and Barry Smith (Supervisory Special Agent-Unit Chief for the FBI). The second panel will explore "The Constitutional Ramifications of Government Regulation of Encryption Technology.”

Panelists will include A. Michael Froomkin (Associate Professor at University of Miami School of Law), Eben Moglen (Professor at Columbia University School of Law) and David Goldstone (Trial Attorney at the Department of Justice). Ronald Noble (Associate Professor at New York University School of Law) and Yochai Benkler (Assistant Professor at New York University School of Law) will be moderating the panels.

The New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy is a nonpartisan periodical specializing in the analysis of legislation and the influence of public policy on the lawmaking process. Focusing on legislative reform and on organizational and procedural factors affecting legislative decision-making, it provides a forum for the discussion of contemporary policy and lawmaking issues, offering legislators, judges, students, and educators the most in-depth legal and policy analysis of legislation available.

11/19/98