8:30   Coffee

9:00   Introduction and welcome

        The federal government is now considering a range of proposals that will affect the use of cryptography, a privacy-enhancing technology that has gained widespread public use in the past decade. These policies could have a significant impact on the future of communications privacy and the development of new products and services. Many of the country’s leading experts are gathered at this conference to examine the potential impact of these proposals.

         • Jim Bidzos, RSA
         • Marc Rotenberg, CPSR

930   Cryptography Overview

        Cryptography is the process of encoding communications. It is the most important technical safeguard for ensuring the privacy and authenticity of messages that travel across communication networks.

        Martin Hellman, the creator of a leading cryptographic procedure, will provide an introduction to cryptography, including the critical concepts and commonly used terms. David Kahn, the author of the Codebreakers: The History of Secure Communications and Seizing the. Enigma, will discuss the growing importance of cryptography in the information economy and some of the historical problems that arose when government tried to restrict its use.

         • Professor Martin Hellman, Stanford University
         • David Kahn, Newsday and author of The Codebreakers

10:15   Electronic Surveillance and the Digital Telephony Proposal

        The FBI has proposed that telephone companies and computer firms ensure that all telecommunication, services in the United States can be easily wiretapped. The proposal is similar to a plan put forward last year to restrict the use of cryptography in computer communications. The proposal has raised a number of concerns, including the possible impact on network security. This panel will explore the FBI’s Digital Telephony proposal and its potential impact on privacy, security, and network reliability.

         • Professor Lance Hoffman, George Washington University (moderator)
         • William A, Bayse, Assistant Director, FBI
         • Janlori Goldman, ACLU
         • John Podesta, Electronic Frontier Foundation