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Cryptography legislation in the UK

This page is less actively maintained these days.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIP)

The much-criticised Part III of the e-commerce bill came back in the RIP Act.

More information at FIPR
The RIP Act 2000 received Royal Assent at the beginning of August 2000.
Charles Lindsey has compiled a list of scenarios which illustrate various problems with the Act.
RIP (Scotland)

The act's powers were to be extended in June 2002. The furore this created prompted the government to rethink its strategy. See FIPR press releases of 20 June 2002 and 18 June 2002.

This has stimulated the idea of `data havens', amongst the most curious of which is Sealand, now the home of a data haven called HavenCo. Press reports about it: Times, Suffolk Now

Interception of Communications in the UK

Electronic Communications Act 2000 (was E-commerce bill 1999)

Shorn of the contentious interception provisions, the Electronic Communications Act 2000 was passed smoothly at the beginning of 2000.
Pages which supported the Electronic Commerce Bill
Analysis of the (draft) Electronic Communications Bill 1999, `a summary of opinions from UKCrypto and elsewhere'.
Cryptography and Liberty: `Can the Trusted Third Parties be Trusted? A Critique of the Recent UK Proposals'
DTI summary of responses to consultation
...has become law, the Electronic Communications Act 2000

DTI consultation 1999

The DTI produced further proposals (summarised), and resulted in a press-release in January 1999. Consultation document: Building confidence in electronic commerce. This produced Consultation on Draft Legislation.
Public comments: JISC/UKERNA, UCISA, UKERNA, Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK), Charles Lindsey, Brian Gladman, CACIB, See also the FIPR collection of comments.
Stephen Pride, DTI, talking about the policy

DTI proposals 1997

Norman
Created: 1 January 2001
Last modified: 5 July 2002