The Cyberspace Electronic Security Act of 1999 (CESA) is a bill proposed by the
Clinton administration
Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over ...
during the
106th United States Congress
The 106th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 19 ...
that enables the government to harvest keys used in
encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can dec ...
. The Cyberspace Electronic Security Act gives
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term ...
the ability to gain access to
encryption key
A key in cryptography is a piece of information, usually a string of numbers or letters that are stored in a file, which, when processed through a cryptographic algorithm, can encode or decode cryptographic data. Based on the used method, the ke ...
s and
cryptography
Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or ''-logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adve ...
methods. The initial version of this act enabled federal law enforcement agencies to secretly use monitoring, electronic capturing equipments and other technologies to access and obtain information. These provisions were later stricken from the act, although federal law enforcement agencies still have a significant degree of latitude to conduct investigations relating to electronic information. The act generated discussion about what capabilities should be allowed to law enforcement in the detection of criminal activity. After vocal objections from civil liberties groups, the administration backed away from the controversial bill.
See also
*
Computer security
Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, th ...
External links
The bill at CDT.com
United States federal commerce legislation
Encryption debate
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