Science & Technology in Congress Just before the end of the
year, the Clinton Administration announced that it would change
the focus of its encryption proposals from requiring the use of
a commercial "key escrow" system, often referred to as the
Clipper Chip, to a new "key recovery" approach. In addition, it
transferred regulatory oversight from the State Department to
the Department of Commerce. However, the Administration
continues to encounter strong resistance among Internet users,
privacy advocates, members of Congress, and computer companies.
Introduced in 1993, the Clipper Chip proposal was intended to
address the concerns of U.S. law enforcement and national
security officials regarding access to encrypted communications
and stored data that threatened national security or that are
related to investigations of criminal activities. The
Administration argued that widespread use of the Clipper Chip
would ensure the government had the keys to access most of these
communications or data. Due largely to co