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November 03, 1997, Section: News & Analysis

Digital Signatures Shouldn't Enter The Encryption Debate

By Rutrell Yasin

There is a growing consensus among industry experts in both the public and private sectors that digital signatures have the potential for transforming the Internet into a trusted means of delivering goods and services. However, the issues associated with the application of digital signatures are overshadowed by the debate over encryption. So there's a need to separate the use of digital signatures from the debate over key recovery, Jim Bidzos, president of RSA Data Security Inc., told members of the House Science Committee last week. Headed by Constance Morella, R-Md., the committee held hearings on the impact of domestic and international regulations on the development of digital signatures-the electronic means of coding information so a person can be sure of the document's origin and integrity. From a technical standpoint there is no requirement for such a linkage, Bidzos said. He referred the committee to a recently issued report by top cryptographers that verifies certification can exist without any form of key recovery and, vice versa, a key recovery system can exist independently of a key certification infrastructure. Bidzos also told the committee there is no "one-size-fits-all legislation."