11 September 1999

From: "Sten Linnarsson" <sten@cajal.mbb.ki.se>
To: <eucrypto@fitug.de>
Subject: Swedish government issues general 128 bit crypto license
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 18:07:00 +0200
Comment: This message comes from the eucrypto mailing list.

I finally managed to confirm that the decision taken on June 23rd (http://www.ud.se/pressinf/pressmed/1999/juni/990623_5.htm) to liberalize crypto export takes the form of a general export license which allows you to export 128-bit mass-market crypto to a list of approved countries.

The EU is not considered "export", you can distribute any crypto you like within it. The general license extends to about 60 countries, including USA, most of south america, China, Japan, Israel, Egypt, India, the baltic states, Russia, Indonesia and Mexico. Absent are, among others: Serbia, Libya, Afghanistan, Colombia, most african countries and some central american countries.

"Mass-market" has the same definition as in Wassenaar (sold in mass-market channels, accessible to the public, crypto not modifiable, installable without support).

With Germany and France already moving, this probably means that most EU countries will move toward free strong crypto.

The general license can be found in Tullverkets Författningssamling TFS 1999:40, July 1st 1999.

/Sten

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Sten Linnarsson, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm
+46 70 399 32 06, sten@cajal.mbb.ki.se