RSA Goes Down Under to Circumvent Lame Laws

VAB wrote in to tell us that the RSA opened an Australian branch to get around the United States's stupid encryption export restrictions. They also hired SSLeay fame) and Tim Hudson to staff the new corp.

Did Australia sign on to Wassenar?

[Isaac-Lew]

Nope... They didn't tow the moronic line... They opted out of the Wassenar

http://www.wassenaar.org/docs/index1.html [wassenaar.org]

Second country listed. Someone forgot to tell the Wassenaar site that.

I wonder how much it will really help them.

[gavinhall]

Posted by The Famous Brett Watson:

Australia is hardly the perfect place for the development and sale of cryptographic software, but it does have its advantages. We have signed on to the Wassenaar Arrangement, as has been pointed out, but we do not exclude the export of crypto software to the extent that the US does. For example, an Australian may take crypto software out of the country for personal use without prior permission, under certain conditions [defence.gov.au].

Cryptographic software is, however, on the list of export-controlled goods. See for yourself [defence.gov.au] (it's right at the bottom of the page). Furthermore, software "in the public domain" (and GPL or other Open Source is categorised as such) is expressly included in the restriction by the terms of the general software note [defence.gov.au] (bottom of page, again). In fact, crypto software is the only software "in the public domain" that is still export-controlled. Gee, thanks for pushing that one on us, Uncle Sam! American cultural values should be export controlled.

But all is not lost, however. Australia doesn't have the alarmist attitude of the US on these issues, and so I'd feel much safer leaving crypto software on an Australian website than a US one. I get the feeling I'd be shot for treason in the US, whereas in Australia I'd get a slap across the wrist. Maybe.

In any case, you can apply for an export license, and if you are exporting to another Wassenaar signatory, there's no reason why you'd be knocked back. From that perspective maybe RSA are onto something. They'd better actually have a program to sell. Their steenking patents won't get them very far here, I'm pleased to say. Gee, at least I don't think so. I'd better double check we haven't adopted any boneheaded US patent laws as the result of some other treaty recently.

Permission to export will be much easier to obtain in Australia, because we aren't quite so paranoid as the US. Probably we figure we know so little of what's really going on that a bit of crypto won't hurt. "Hey -- if everyone else has crypto, we won't be able to eavesdrop on them! Will we notice the difference?" Most of the secrets which are of the most importance to us are probably held by the US Govt anyhow. Allies can be more dangerous than enemies sometimes.

I just resent the constraint it imposes on free speech. Why shouldn't I be allowed to work freely on open source crypto software on the net? Reconstructing the artificial boundaries of "state" that the net eliminates is annoying in the extremest extreme.

who???

[red_dragon]

Who did they hire??? Are you sure you posted all that was to be posted???

Did Australia sign on to Wassenar?

[mila]

Yes!

Not too good for free software ...

[Nicolas MONNET]

I guess... RSA does'nt have any record of supporting free software at all ... they're an evil software patent company, AFAIK.

Not really

[Ageless]

The RSA patent is still *legally* valid. It expires next September and I can barely wait.

Darn!

[mattc]

Once again, an example of capitalism screwing over people who try to help society. I garauntee that none of the aforementioned companies that allow others to use their algorithms freely will be still in business next year. Scumbags like RSA will be, and are, rolling in cash while they rip off the consumer. Greed pays.

No, I'm not a socialist.

re: RSA Goes Down Under to Circumvent Lame Laws

[BigFire]

Hum, that is similiar to what Network Associate is doing last year. They setup a independant company outside of US, with the aim of reverse engineering the code, so they won't get tag by ITAR.