HP Gains Approval to Export Cryptography Technology
Washington, D.C. —Hewlett-Packard Company announces it has received approval from the United States
government to export VerSecure, the company's most advanced technology for managing and providing strong encryption services.
The approval marks a significant milestone in HP's strategy to make secure, global, Internet-based business transactions
and communications possible.
The license granted to HP gives end users in approved non-U.S. countries access to strong cryptography.
With VerSecure technology, 128-bit and triple-DES encryption is available to users running computer applications — limited
only by local laws and regulations. Users can choose from limited to very strong cryptography and select whether or not to
activate a key recovery capability.
VerSecure technology has been embraced by an array of HP's international business partners, including
IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, CertCo, RSA, and Trusted Information Systems, and divisions within HP.
"Export of our VerSecure technology means the full commercial power of the electronic world can now be
realized on a truly global scale," said Lewis E. Platt, HP chairman, president and chief executive officer. "By addressing
the security issues that have hampered international e-commerce in the past, HP's cryptography infrastructure —
applied globally — will help ensure privacy and help stop piracy of Internet-based communications and transactions worldwide."
In addition, HP and IBM have announced a broad, cooperative effort to leverage each other's technology to
help unleash electronic commerce worldwide.
IBM and HP intend to collaborate on HP VerSecure and IBM KeyWorks and cryptographic hardware technologies.
Both companies are reviewing plans to include elements of VerSecure and KeyWorks in each others' products. In
addition, both companies intend to work together to enable customers to use both HP VerSecure and IBM KeyWorks products.
VerSecure technology unlocks the virtually limitless business potential of the international electronic world,
enabling global trade opportunities, and expansion that previously were unattainable. In addition, businesses that use the
VerSecure technology can create closer relationships with their customers by ensuring the highest level of security and
data-integrity for critical business transactions over the Internet and other global networks.
VerSecure technology gives consumers the peace of mind to conduct a wide range of electronic transactions,
without concerns about fraud. Combined with smart cards, VerSecure technology is a key enabler of the electronic world —
a world in which the Internet will fundamentally change the way consumers purchase and receive goods and services.
Encryption hides, or scrambles, the content of Internet communications (such as e-mail) from electronic
eavesdroppers. This security is critical if users are to trust the Internet. Unfortunately, governments fear that terrorists and
other criminals can use this same technology to hide their activities. For this reason many countries, including the Unites
States, have laws governing the export of encryption, and some even control its import or use. VerSecure technology was
designed to provide the flexibility to address these concerns. Not only d'es it include key recovery capabilities as an option that
can be activated at the discretion of the user within the context of local government policies, but it also provides an
architecture that can adapt to changes in government policies as they occur. Because the architecture is implemented in
computer hardware, there is high confidence that these features cannot be defeated or deleted.
This article originally appeared in the April 1998 issue of Recharger.