Solon proposes Internet cryptography body

By Alexander F. Villafania INQ7.net

PAMPANGA Representative Jesus Reynaldo Aquino has proposed the creation of a new regulatory group to monitor the use of encryption technology in the country for security purposes.
The proposal, which comes amidst a recent wiretapping scandal is intended to ensure that terrorists cannot use computer encryption technology to scramble their messages.

Aquino called for the establishment of a Encryption Regulatory Board, as he stressed that doing so protect the integrity of the Web.

Under his proposal, the Department of National Defense and the National Bureau of Investigation will form the Encryption Regulatory Board and define its powers.

Aquino's proposal would require all business entities using any kind of encryption technology to register their encryption key with the board.

"While computers are the icon of an industrialized country, computer technology is also a double-edged sword as that it can also serve as a gateway for criminals and terrorists to transact with their counterparts and even conceptualize their plot," Aquino said.

Cryptography is the science involving methods of turning ordinary messages into unintelligible texts and reconverting these encrypted messages back to their original form.

Its most widely used application is in the military though it also widely used in the telecommunications industry and the Internet.

Aquino warned that cryptography is already being used by criminals for terrorism, as well as for legitimate Internet and business transactions.

"The threat to our national security by these cyber terrorists and criminals should not be taken lightly and the creation of the Encryption Regulatory Board is a step in the right direction," Aquino said.