[336] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: export/import status of Russia
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Peter Gutmann)
Thu Mar 13 09:14:47 1997
From: pgut001@cs.auckland.ac.nz (Peter Gutmann)
To: cryptography@c2.net
Reply-To: pgut001@cs.auckland.ac.nz
X-Charge-To: pgut001
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 19:27:45 (NZDT)
>In addition to the problem Sameer describes, I seem to remember that
>Russia was planning to establish France-like restrictions on the use
>of crypto, which may make it illegal for your client to use crypto
>there at all. I don't know if such a law has been passed, or if so,
>how easily it is to get past, or how strictly it is enforced.
>
>As usual, check with a lawyer familiar with regulations on both sides
>of the (ahem) curtain, and everywhere in between.
It isn't a law, it was done as a presidential decree because the Russian
parliament refused to pass it as a law (does this trick sound familiar to US
people?). The organisation behind it was FAPSI, a fragment of the former
KGB. There's a Russian proverb which says "The severity of Russian law is
compensated for by its non-mandatoryness", and this definitely applies here.
I've been told by several users of my crypto in Russia that as long as you
don't tell anyone you're using crypto, you have nothing to worry about. Going
to lawyers and trying to do things properly is not advisable.
Peter.
