*BSD News Article 19745


Return to BSD News archive

Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!pipex!uknet!bradford.ac.uk!t.d.g.sandford
From: t.d.g.sandford@bradford.ac.uk (Thomas Sandford)
Subject: DES Export restrictions (was Re: FreeBSD outside of US??)
Message-ID: <1993Aug19.193718.13608@info.brad.ac.uk>
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL9]
References: <1993Aug19.135856.24990@gmd.de>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 93 19:37:17 BST
Lines: 30

Holger Veit (veit@mururoa.gmd.de) wrote:
: In article <LMJM.93Aug19143408@kea.doc.ic.ac.uk>, lmjm@doc.ic.ac.uk (Lee McLoughlin) writes:
: |> Will there ever be a version of FreeBSD available outside of the US??
: |> 

: (cut down to save space)

: This is obviously a version with the DES algorithm in libc, and everyone knows
: about the paranoid opinion of the US DoD on possible information transfer
: of such relevant code into countries behind the iron curtain
: (wherever this is nowadays).

: (more judicious editing)

Folks who live in the US: write to your senator (or whoever it is you write to
in the US), email the whitehouse, and generally make a noise to those in
authority in your country, pointing out that these stupid DES export 
restrictions make you a laughing stock throughout the computer using world.

- They are pointless (versions of DES encryption routines "escaped" long ago).

- They aren't enforced (US sites with DES algorithms on them. Sometimes with
README'S saying "Oh if you don't live in the US then please don't download
files you aren't allowed to").

- They don't look good coming from a country which prides itself on freedom
of information (not that my own nation has much to boast of in that respect).

--
Thomas Sandford | t.d.g.sandford@bradford.ac.uk