🚀 go-pugleaf

strnlght@netcom.com (David Sternlight) writes:
>
>Bill Stewart argues that the IDEA algorithm isn't covered by the
>Munitions Act provisions. Though I hope he's right, I'm not so
>sure. I think the Munitions Act covers cryptographic methods.

This can't be the case. I can travel to Europe, learn about IDEA, then
come to the US and hold a public speech on how the algorithm works. In
order to prohibit the "importation of cryptographic algorithms", as
opposed to cryptographic implementations, it would be necessary to
forever ban anyone who learned about any cryptographic system abroad
from ever reentering the US because having legitimately learned of the
system abroad no US law could prevent him from describing the system
to others, given that the first amendment would prohibit such a
restraint on speech.

It is, in fact, impossible to prohibit the export of unclassified
cryptographic algorithms (but not unclassified cryptographic software)
for exactly the same reason -- it would be necessary to prohibit
anyone who had ever read the DES specs, say, from leaving the US
without a license.

As we all know that the distinction between an algorithm and an
implementation in actual software is just a matter of effort that
educated programmers around the world can readily accomplish, it is
easily seen why the entire notion of export/import controls on
cryptography is idiotic. However, idiocy has never stopped the
government in the past, so there is little expectation it will stop it
in the future.

--
Perry Metzger		pmetzger@shearson.com
--
"They can have my RSA key when they pry it from my cold dead fingers."