Nate asks:
BTW, what is the snail-mail address to send these letters to?
Willam B. Robinson United States Department of State Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs Office of Defense Trade Controls Washington, DC 20522-0602 George suggests:
yeah, here's a cheaper version. Write to the arms excport license people and pester them with questions: I'm a BBS operator, what should I do?; I'm a businessperson travelling overseas and need my crypto to comm with the home office what should I do?; all this kind of thing. Swamp them with letters. Every person and every circumstance which even remotely fits.
An alternative version which would require more guts and perhaps a serious conscientious decision about whether it's worth making this an act of civil disobedience, is to write to them and say, "I'm a BBS operator, not an arms merchant, and on the strength of my 1st-A rights I'm not going to censor my board or get a license..." or "I'm a businessperson who travels & takes my cryupto out of the country on my laptop to comm with the home office; I'm not an arms dealer either and I don't intend to get a license..." And again, there is strength in numbers here.
I like the first idea. As an attorney (stop with the hissing out there!), I feel a need to remind you that these State Department guys are serious. They can really make your life miserable -- just ask Phil Z. I strongly suggest that you keep that in mind before openly suggesting that you intend to export encryption. I agree that the export laws stink. I'm hoping we can get the law nixed without anyone going to jail. Shari