[340] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Crypto matters on CeBIT opening in Hannover, Germany
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Axel H. Horns)
Thu Mar 13 13:16:31 1997
To: cryptography@c2.net
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 18:41:04 +0100
From: Horns@t-online.de (Axel H. Horns)
According to a brief notice printed in the March 13, 1997 issue of
the dayly newspaper "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung" published in
Hannover, Germany, the German Minister of Economic Affairs
(Bundeswirtschaftsminister), Mr. Guenther Rexrodt, has assured that the
German government does not intend to put a ban son strong crypto.
The statement was given at the occasion of the opening of the CeBIT
trade fair, one of the most important events for presentation of the
latest technology products in the computer industry.
The President of the DIHT (= a roof organisation of German Industry
and Trade Chambers), Mr. Hans-Peter Stihl, was reported to have said
at the same event that overestimated security issues should not restrict
safe data transfer on the net. This position was also supported by
Mr. Joerg Menno Harms, CEO of the German Subsidiary of
Hewlett-Packard. In departing from the U.S. model of crypto
regulation, Germany might obtain a leading position in crypto
technology, he argued.
There is no verification whether this was a position agreed on by the
entire Cabinet of the German government or merely a shlould-be
statement of a single minister.
Axel H. Horns
