Articles

Public-Key Encryption and the Clipper Chip: Implications for the Archival Administration of Electronic Records

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Abstract

The advent of available, inexpensive powerful encryption software based on the virtually "uncrackable" RSA algorithms, coupled with the Clinton administration's response in the form of the Clipper Chip proposal, has produced a heated public debate which extends far beyond technical issues to the very core of the constitutional rights and freedoms of American citizens. The ability which this technology offers to private citizens (or to governments, businesses, and other institutions) of encrypting digitally communicated materials, with privacy protection unassailable by even the most sophisticated code-breaking supercomputers of the National Security Agency, presents both serious threats and challenging opportunities to archivists already struggling with the management of electronic records. Thus, it is necessary for archivists to become aware of the nature and development of this powerful form of encryption, the government's response through the Clipper Chip proposal, and the associated issues of individual privacy and public security. Moreover, archivists should consider how encryption might be employed to facilitate the archival management of electronic records.

How to Cite:

Scalera, N. J., (1995) “Public-Key Encryption and the Clipper Chip: Implications for the Archival Administration of Electronic Records”, Archival Issues 20(1), 65–78. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/archivalissues.10646