Thwarting the information thieves: Fear of spying through simple or sophisticated electronics has spawned an industry whose challenge is to block the illegal interception of intelligence

Notes that opinion is divided on the seriousness of the threat of electronic surveillance carried out by foreign governments and domestic competitors. A brief description is given of the operating principles of bugs and tapes. Attention is called to the widespread availability of equipment for intercepting communications. It is noted that, with regard to private security vendors, the quality of the service is uneven and their claims are often exaggerated. It is noted that electronic sweeps are time-consuming and expensive and cannot guarantee detection of all taps and bugs. The advantages offered by encryption are then outlined, and various encryption schemes that have been proposed are described. An account is also given of the steps the US Government has taken to encourage wider use of encryption among defense contractors.