Regulations under consideration in Washington, DC, could narrow exemptions that allow free international information exchanges, experts on US science policy warn. "We face a real problem in terrorism that uses low technologies against us," says Eugene B. Skolnikoff, professor of political science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who writes on science policy. "At the same time, I have a sense that there is a different attitude ... within some [government] agencies, a sense of panic, or sense that we are at war. There is a level of overreaction that is likely to damage the very security that we're trying to protect."
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is participating in a redrafting of the directive, with a view toward safeguarding scientific freedom, says Victor Teplitz of OSTP. "There's a genuine understanding that open dialogue to the maximum extent is very beneficial," Teplitz says. "There's a reluctance to ...
