Re: US relaxes crypto restrictions?
David Feuer (dfeuer@his.com)
Tue, 12 Jan 1999 22:57:32 -0500
Guest section DW wrote:
>
> From: "Alan Olsen" <alano@adams.pcx.ncd.com>
>
> On Jan 12, 4:41pm, christophe.leroy5@capway.com wrote:
>
> > I think nobody shall suffer of it.
> > Just make a kernel with everithing needed for encryption but only
> > xor encryption, and a separate patch that replaces xor by DES
> >
> > Everybody will be able to use the one they want.
>
> Nope.
>
> The US Government considers this kind of crypto hook the same as exporting
> crypto. (Kind of the way that some religions equate lusting after a woman the
> same as adultry. Allowing crypto into your source is the same as encrypting in
> the real world.)
>
> The Apache group has run into the same problem. They tried the above approach
> and still had a visit from the TLA who shall not be named.
>
> Hmm. Self-censorship is worse than being censored.
>
> When the loop device was added, people said the same things.
> So far, as far as I know, nothing happened.
>
> You see, there is a risk here for these three-letter-acronyms as well.
> As long as they can frighten you, they get what they want without
> taking formal action. On the other hand, if they take formal action,
> maybe you go to court, and maybe they lose. This has happened a few
> times already, and each time the position of this TLA becomes weaker.
>
> The conclusion is that if you behave reasonable there is no
> great reason to worry.
>
> Andries
Since the hooks are obviously to add compression and redundancy
coding there shouldn't be any problem..... OTOH, I wish Linus
still lived in Finland.
--
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David Feuer
dfeuer@his.com
dfeuer@binx.mbhs.edu
Open Source: Think locally; act globally.
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