(2020-0544-F Segment 2) Cryptography and Encryption

The materials in FOIA 2020-0544-F are a select body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. This request was for records related to United States encryption and cryptography policy. Specifically, it was for records related to an encryption software program called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and the author of that program Philip Zimmermann. Previous administrations dealt with encryption and cryptography as a security and intelligence issue. The Clinton administration found itself in a moment when technological advancements required addressing the issue as a commercial and privacy issue as well as one of security and intelligence. Presidential Review Directive 27 (PRD-27) Advanced Telecommunications and Encryption (April 16, 1993) announced the creation of an Interagency Working Group (IWG) to assess the issue for the government. The development of administration policy was complex, and a number of executive offices were involved. The Department of Commerce and the Department of State were concerned with export control requirements and intelligence and law enforcement communities with counterterrorism and anticrime concerns. Administration policies focused initially on hardware solutions such as Clipper chips. Ultimately, in consultation with industry partners, the administration took a position favoring software solutions such as key recovery, digital encryption standards (DES), DES stacks, Secure Socket Layers (SSL), Key Management Infrastructures (KMI), and a host of similar systems. Philip Zimmermann is the creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption software, which was designed to encrypt emails, files, drives, and for use as a way to authenticate data transfers. It was released in 1991 to the public through a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to a small group of people in an anti-nuclear weapons activist group. That release led to an investigation of supposed Arms Export Control violations. There are no records in this collection related to that investigation. In 1996, Zimmermann started PGP Incorporated which was purchased in 1997 by Network Associates, Inc. This collection contains email and cable regarding internet privacy rights, encrypting sensitive information communicated via the internet, and the legality of exporting encryption software such as PGP.