Re: COMMERCIAL ENCRYPTION EXPORT CONTROLS

From: Kent Briggs (kbriggs_at_spamcop.net)
Date: 08/31/03 

Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 14:35:53 GMT

Haitham Genedy wrote:
> I know that USA cryptographic laws were
> allowed to encrypt with 128 bits inside USA and 64 bits
> outside USA and then a relaxation to these rules
> had occurred in order to allow encryption with key lengths
> up to 128 bits outside USA.
>
> Q1: Am i right in these information?

No, there were never any internal restrictions on cryptography inside
the U.S. There were export restrictions a few years ago that limited
key sizes or 32 or 40 bits, depending on the algorithm. Those key size
limitations on export have now been lifted for most mass market
software although paperwork still has to be filed with the BIS
(formerly BXA) department for symmetric key sizes above 64 bits. I
have successfully done that with Puffer, which uses 256-bit AES and
2048-bit Diffie-Hellman key exchange.

BIS site: http://www.bis.doc.gov/Encryption/Default.htm
Puffer: http://www.briggsoft.com/puffer.htm 

-- 
Kent Briggs, kbriggs@spamcop.net
Briggs Softworks, http://www.briggsoft.com