signatory countries of the Wassenaar Agreement
The US Department of Commerce has decided after a consultation process at a meeting on Wednesday of yesterday to withdraw the draft of changes to the Wassenaar Arrangement and revise. The Wassenaar Arrangement is voluntary rules for dealing with dual-use items are signed by a total of 41 countries around the world, and should be supplemented by more points that govern the export of software. However, there was a problem:. On the one hand to regulate the export of monitoring software and to make companies like Hacking Team and Co. business difficult, but on the other hand impairing not free inquiry and free software
In its present form would the proposed changes could lead to the latter point precisely because they were formulated very vaguely, as scholars and activists criticized equally. For example, the definition could be designed so that scientists access to software would have been prevented with which they carry out safety tests for research purposes. Furthermore, would have been questionable whether a publication of vulnerabilities at a conference with the rules would have to be reconciled.
The numerous comments of the public consultation have reflected that. A representative of the Department of Commerce promises now:
All Of Those comments will be Carefully reviewed and distilled, and the Authorities will Determine how the Regulations Should be changed [...] A second iteration dieser regulation will be promulgated, and you can infer from thatthat The First One will be WITHDRAWN.
How long does it take until a new proposal will be introduced, is unclear, give it so far no timetable. With several months can be expected well, then a second consultation period is pending.
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