Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!rpi!sigma From: sigma@pawl.rpi.edu (Kevin J Martin) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: PKZIP version 1.10 and data encryption Message-ID: Date: 30 Mar 90 03:42:14 GMT References: <1990Mar28.035417.6496@eng.umd.edu> <2170@darkstar.ucsc.edu> <393@sigma3.sm.luth.se> <1990Mar29.113347.14950@uwasa.fi> <12458@smoke.BRL.MIL> Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY Lines: 35 In article <12458@smoke.BRL.MIL> w8sdz@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (Keith Petersen) writes: >Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. File encryption is also done in >SEA's ARC and NoGate's PAK archivers. They are subject to the same >law which prohibits exporting encryption devices or programs from the >USA or Canada. > >Keith Petersen Whoa! Are you saying that the law in question prohibits the export of ANY encryption hardware/software?! That's insane! Well, we can just throw all our nifty programs like UUEncode/UUDecode, Rot13, and the like out the window! How about a Norwegian-to-English dictionary like the one I used to have at home? Isn't that an "encryption" tool? Or any program, say, which takes source code and converts it to object code? I can just see it - cc(1V) will have to be removed from the net... Now, if we could only convince them that Ada qualifies! ( :-) :-) ;-) ) Does anyone know which law we're talking about? I'm going to subscribe to sci.crypt and misc.legal, and consider asking in those forums. It seems more ridiculous at every turn. For example, my man page says that crypt, which uses a variant of the 'German enigma' system (am I allowed to say that without fear of prosecution? Probably not...), is not included on software shipped out of the U.S. - no mention of Canada or DES. On the other hand, makekey, which does use a DES-type system (I'm not familiar with DES details, I admit), clearly says it uses DES, but has no restriction mentioned! Yeah, I know, man pages are never uptodate or entirely accurate, but...? Kevin Martin sigma@pawl.rpi.edu North Americans, get PKZip 1.10 from me - offer expires 4/4/90.