From: dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr. Dimitri Vulis)
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 95 08:11:18 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Which countries don't allow encryption ?
In-Reply-To: <9512201335.AA01573@imdwd01>
Message-ID: <75ZegD4w165w@bwalk.dm.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


visentin@imdwd01.milano.italtel.it writes:
> I'm trying to address the following issue: people at
> my company need to exchange sensitive information with
> their colleagues abroad (e.g. East Europe, or Southern
> America).
...
> I read somewhere that Russian law forbids the use on
> encryption: is this correct ?

More or less. President Yeltsin's edict of April 3, 1995, prohibits the
use of encryption without a licence from FAPSI. I've been told that
"everybody" continues to use PGP and no one's had any trouble yet.
However in today's climate I can imagine a Western business blatantly
violating the edict, being threatened with prosecution, and being shaken
down for a bribe... For a peace of mind, why don't your correspondents
go to FASPI and simply ask for a licence. They're nice people.

You might have more of a problem in France, where, as far as I know, you
must deposit your cryptographic keys with the government, so it may read
your correspondence. Soon this may be required in the U.S. as well.

---

Dr. Dimitri Vulis
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps