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[Caml-list] Cryptokit: cryptographic library for OCaml
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Xavier Leroy
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Sven
- Remi VANICAT
- Xavier Leroy
- proff@i...
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Sven
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Date: | 2002-04-05 (19:36) |
From: | Xavier Leroy <xavier.leroy@i...> |
Subject: | Re: [Caml-list] Cryptokit: cryptographic library for OCaml |
> Mmm, what are the legal restriction related to this ? Is it legal to > distribute it in france (legislation may have changed since last i checked > about such things a few years ago) ? Is it legal to distribute it from an US > based server (i think yes, but you would need to declare the software to the > NSA or something such). I wish I knew for sure :-) I spent significant time reading the French laws on the DCSSI Web site (http://www.scssi.gouv.fr/fr/reglementation/index.html). (FYI, the DCSSI is roughly the French equivalent of the NSA.) It appears that cryptographic means ("moyens de cryptographie", whatever that means) are regulated differently depending on whether they are used for authentication (passwords, signature, data integrity), confidentiality (encryption), copy protection, in mobile phones, for bank transactions, in spread-spectrum devices, etc. >From this list, it appears that only whole software applications or hardware devices are subject to regulations. A library like my Cryptokit doesn't by itself ensure authentication, confidentiality, etc: this is a property of the application that uses it. Cryptokit just transforms streams of bytes in various ways. Heck, you could use the AES implementation it provides just to generate pseudo-random numbers (don't laugh -- the PRNG in the library does exactly this). So, I think I'm not violating any French regulation by distributing this library. Now, if you use it in a program, it is up to you to make sure you comply with the law. (E.g. a Caml-powered spread-spectrum device is a no-no :-) As for other countries, I haven't the least idea of their regulations. To get definitive answers to your questions, you'll need to consult a competent lawyer, not me. - Xavier Leroy ------------------- To unsubscribe, mail caml-list-request@inria.fr Archives: http://caml.inria.fr Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs FAQ: http://caml.inria.fr/FAQ/ Beginner's list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ocaml_beginners