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From: dhp@ihnp3.UUCP (Douglas H. Price)
Newsgroups: net.unix,net.micro.pc,net.crypt
Subject: Re: Non-ATT 'crypt(3)'
Message-ID: <197@ihnp3.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Dec-85 11:56:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ihnp3.197
Posted: Mon Dec 16 11:56:00 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Dec-85 04:31:10 EST
References: <124@suneast.uucp> <717@decuac.UUCP> <435@brl-tgr.ARPA> <522@uel>
Reply-To: dhp@ihnp3.UUCP (45262-Douglas H. Price)
Distribution: net
Organization: ATT Bell Labs
Lines: 23
Keywords: crypt
Xref: watmath net.unix:6647 net.micro.pc:6237 net.crypt:489
Summary: common sense, law, and national security do not mix

The U.S. has a federal law on the books forbidding the export of cryptographic
devices, procedures, etc.  This is, of course, intended to prevent 'rival
powers' from taking advantage of our more open ways of doing things.  It was
much easier to draft a law forbidding the export of ALL items of this type
rather than try to split hairs as to what was harmless and what wasn't.

Now I personally don't agree with the concept that the easiest way of
accomplishing a goal is necessarily the right way of doing it.  I UNDERSTAND
why they did it, but don't AGREE with how it was done.  So, I suspect we will
just have to get used to this kind of sloppiness on the part of our governments.

We see this in Europe as well, where each of your national telephone and 
telegraph ministries jealously guard their right to dictate there own data
and networking protcols, the result of which is that most international data
in Europe is switched through TELENET in California!



-- 
						Douglas H. Price
						Analysts International Corp.
						@ AT&T Bell Laboratories
						..!ihnp4!ihnp3!dhp