Re: US Encryption Policy Change Now Official!
> <cite>
> Restrictions on terrorist supporting states (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya,
> North Korea, Sudan or Syria), their nationals and other sanctioned
> entities are not changed by this rule.
> </cite>
>
> IMHO this isn't DFSG compliant!
Why? This restriction is not imposed by the license, it's imposed
by the government and totally beyond the control of any author,
packager or ISP.
If you still think you want to take a stand on principal, remember
that you've just provided censorship power to every government on
the planet. How much to you think some struggling town would charge
a corporation to pass a law prohibiting the transfer of Gnu software
to one-legged blind albinos? Oops, the FSF is non-DFSG compliant
and we need to yank the entire Debian distribution!
BTW, for the same reason I'm not entirely sure that many ham radio
packages should be considered non-DFSG. If the sole purpose of a
package is operation of a device which requires a gov't license
to operate, is it non-DFSG for the license to restrict the use of
the license to only those who can legally use the software? I'm
sure the author honestly doesn't care one way or the other, but
includes the language just to CYA if someone buys some used gear
at a swap meet and doesn't realize that a ham station is not just
an overpowered CB radio.
--
Bear GIles
bgiles@coyotesong.com
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