By Jesse Freund
What issue could persuade seasoned GOP spinmeister Ed Gillespie (left) to team up with former White House counsel Jack Quinn? "Key recovery encryption scares the hell out of us," says Gillespie, the executive director of Americans for Computer Privacy, a crypto coalition he founded with his erstwhile nemesis.
Of course, encryption is also a trendy cause inside the Beltway. And the makeup of the coalition - the chiefly industry players plus such sundry noisemakers as the NRA and Phyllis Schlafly - raises questions about the ACP's true agenda. To be sure, the group has a vested interest in passing desirable crypto legislation, such as the Security and Freedom Through Encryption Act. But an encryption showdown might also drive a convenient wedge between the Clinton/Gore camp and its friends in Silicon Valley.
ELECTRIC WORD
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