From: Evil se7en <se7en@dis.org>
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 03:50:32 -0800 (PST)
To: DC-Stuff List <dc-stuff@dis.org>
Subject: Travelling With Laptops/PGP
Message-ID: <Pine.BSI.3.91.961205032955.685A-100000@kizmiaz.dis.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain




Problem:

I will be spending a couple of months chilling out in Barcelona, Spain.
I will have a local Internet account/dial-up in that city, and will use 
it to telnet into my various US-based accounts. This is how I plan to 
keep in touch with various people while I am gone.

Questions:

1 - Is the importation of two laptops and it's various peripheral devices 
by a US citizen into Spain going to be a problem? I know it is in some 
European countries.

2 - Will having PGP 2.6.2, with 2048-bit keys, or any key length for this 
matter, installed on these two machines, cause a problem?

3 - What about having SSH and ESM installed on the laptops? Will this set 
off red flags as well?

Now, I see a work around if this is a problem, but would like advice on 
this also:

If I generate a temporary PGP key, and distribute it prior to my departure,
and then store it on the US-based server (not a good idea, but it is a 
temporary key, and if it is not a problem in Spain, SSH and ESM would be in 
use) then bouncing out of Spain via telnet into US-based computers to 
process encryption/decryption, key management, etc, any encryption would 
never actually take place on servers outside of the US. 

Would this be a viable workaround? Or should I just say fuck it, and just 
disavow myself of any reason/need for PGP for the duration of my stay? If 
this is gonna be a problem, I'll just forego anything requiring 
encryption while I am in Spain.

I have no interest in smuggling crypto in, or defying international law 
just to use PGP for personal use. If it's not allowed, I simply won't use 
it. But, I MUST be able to bring my laptops into the country. That HAS to 
happen.

My Research: I tried to find these answers myself via conventioanl 
methods, and either there was no information available, or the embassy 
people I spoke to weren't sure. (Go figure!) So now I ask for your 
opinions. 

se7en