The Government and Security

The issue of security on our computers is greatly affected by the restrictions on security technology placed on a company by its home government. Because this is not by any stretch of the imagination a comprehensive text on security, we instead outline the two major controversies concerning government intervention in computer security. We attempt not to pass judgment on either the government or the security community; you can make that determination for yourself. Instead, in this section, we simply point out the two sides to the arguments of governmental control of security export and the government's right to possess keys to domestic security apparatuses.

Export Control

The United States government is extremely adamant about protecting against U.S. technology falling into nondomestic hands. Two of the more important regulations that are in place are the DoD International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) and the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Both sets of regulations concern the export of technology to foreign governments; ITAR primarily concerns U.S.-based defense contractors, and EAR applies to all commercial ventures that involve the sale and export of technology-related items to non-U.S. persons.