Free Software Would Block Eavesdropping

Three computer engineers worried about government intrusion are offering software over the Internet that they say turns personal computers into telephones that can’t be tapped.

The free Nautilus program is intended to circumvent the Clipper chip and other measures that law enforcement says it needs to catch criminals as more and more communication takes place through digital technology.

Nautilus can be used by any two people with IBM-type PCs having high-speed modems, Sound Blaster cards and Internet access.

With Nautilus, the participants decide on a secret phrase used to encode their conversation over standard phone lines, making it virtually impossible for anyone without the key to decode it.