Re: [VANILLA-LIST:2126] PGP RSA

[Dave Ahn <ahn@vec.wfubmc.edu>]

On Tue, Mar 16, 1999 at 07:55:59PM +0100, Kurt Siegl wrote:
> 
> Only 40 bit encryption is legaly exportable. Higher one is not.

No longer correct.  BXA made changes to the export controls last year.
Encryption technology up to the equivalent of 56 bit DES (including RC2,
RC4, RC5, CAST) are now exportable.  Crypto products with asymmetric key
sizes up to 1024 bits are also exportable.  Under certain conditions
of course.  See http://www.bxa.doc.gov/Encryption/EncrypolicyUpdate.htm
for details.

On Tue, Mar 16, 1999 at 08:02:43PM +0100, Kurt Siegl wrote:
> 
> 32 bit key size? That could be cracked to easy.
> No Netrek uses 32 byte = 256 bit keysize which is far above the 40 bit.

I meant to say 32 byte key size, sorry.  Still, 256 is less than 1024.

> 1) I f*cking care about US laws, they are not vaild to me. 
> In Europe everything is perfectly leagl. But I believe
> that  my (and also the rest of the comunitys) activity is monitored by the
> US security agencies, but as long its only a game they probably will
> not set any actions against us.

Well, I agree with you Kurt, but I'm governed by those U.S. laws.  :P

> 2) Alec usually removed the RSA stuff from the distribution, when putting
> it onto the FTP server, but since you are basically mirroring my European
> site, it does not fall under the US export laws. There are some other laws
> in particular copyright laws aplicable to this case.

Hm, do you have any references?  I'd like to read up on them.

> >Aren't crypto laws a pain?  :(
> 
> They suck really badly, but in case something spectacular happens,
> I have some good connections to members of the European parlament,
> who can help me out then. There are a lot of people who just wait for
> an initial.

If something really bad happens, maybe I can request asylum in Austria.
Heck, I even lived there for a year, so it could be considered as "home"
even...

-- 
Dave Ahn <ahn@vec.wfubmc.edu>        |  "When you were born, you cried and the
                                     |  world rejoiced.  Try to live your life
Virtual Endoscopy Center             |  so that when you die, you will rejoice
Wake Forest Univ. School of Medicine |  and the world will cry."  -1/2 jj^2