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Re: Is SSL legal to import/use in Israel



On Sun, 3 Nov 1996, Gilad Ben-Yossef wrote:

> > Does anyone know whether it is legal to use/import SSL (40 bit export 
> > SSLeay version) in Israel or other countries? It seems that the apache
> > server SSL patch is not legal to export from England (by their law) but
> > there seems to be no restriction on the CERN patch that does the same
> > thing for the CERN server. According to a rumor on USENET it is illegal
> > to import SSL into France.
> 
> I am no no lawyer, but...  Even if *exporting* this product out of its
> origin country is unlawfull by the laws of that country, it DOES not say
> its illeagel for you to use this product in Israel once *someone* has
> imported it - Israel (Again, AFAIK) does not have any laws forbiding you
> to use SSL. 
> 
> It may be illeagel export this product from certain countries, but once
> the product is imported you can use it here "safely" - you are not doing
> anything agint the foriegn country laws - you did not export the product,
> just use it, and you are not doing anything against Israeli laws.
> 
> I suggest, though you check this with a lawyer.

the reasons to can't export RSAREF from the US is double... security (it's
officially called "exporting weapons" by the US government) and copyright
(RSA ltd. but since Adi Shamir and friends are Israelis, I suppose they
have the right to do with that code whatever they want...)

now that it was imported, and the state of israel doesn't really care
about that, you need to install and use it, which Israel DOES care about.
you need an official approval from MISRAD HABITAKHON to use encryption...
but who gives a /dev/null?


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