ity to tap into the advanced technology but what is the purpose of wiretapping if you can’t read the information transmitted across the medium? This is why the Government turned its focus to securing access to encrypted information. In 1993, the Clinton Administration introduced the Clipper Chip. The Clipper Chip (Clipper I) is “. . . an NSA developed, hardware oriented, cryptographic device that implements a symmetric encryption/decryption algorithm and a law enforcement satisfying key escrow system,” (ISU). Every encryption user would be required to register their decryption key with the government to allow access to “stored data and real-time communications,” (ACLU 4). Although the Clipper Chip was proposed as voluntary, it didn’t catch on and the administration was forced to abandon it. Shortly after, Clipper II was introduced. The encryption proposal was the same as the first with the exception that “. . . anyone using encryption would have to leave the key with a government-approved ‘escrow agent,’’ (ACLU 4). Because this proposal wasn’t accepted either, Clipper III was developed. Clipper III had no significant differences from earlier proposals.A year after the proposals, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) exposed the truth behind the Clipper Chip. The government knew that a standard such as the Clipper Chip “. . . would succeed only if other alternative security techniques were outlawed,” (Huffman 7). The NSA and FBI endorsed a document stating that legislation requiring the use of Government-approved encryption would be necessary for the technical solutions to function as they are designed (ACLU 7). Just as the FBI failed to comply with the Communications Act concerning wiretapping in the 1930’s to 1960’s, the Clinton Administration failed to abide by the Computer Security Act. The Administration supported a proposal fully a...
