448Bit Encryption Export Approved

John Thacker writes "Here is a News.com story about the Commerce Dept. approving the export of a 448-bit encryption system by a Tennessee company. (Home of Al Gore, incidentally) This comes on the eve of a big meeting between the FBI and computer companies about encryption. The catch? The program does have a back-door. But the back door key is specific to a user. The Gov't can still request to break in, but only for one user when a subpoena is obtained. Not perfect, but somewhat of a compromise. "