Email Encryption Law?

Question

In middle of an arguement with a friend of mine about Encryption law. I'd heard that it was illegal to encrypt an email over 128. OVER 128, not 128.

So I'd like to know if there are laws regarding personal email encryption.

Thanks guys!

Answer 1

Didn't find any specific "legal" documents but the Epic Archive on Cryptography Policy has some interesting links that seem to indicate that the US does not have a policy to limit encryption. Most of the documents listed focus on the implementation of "back doors" so agencies can scan for threats but they also indicate that terrorist would likely use foreign encryption techniques so requiring a back door into US based encryption techniques would essentially be useless.

The first link gets you to the topic. The articles are a little older so things may have changed with the current administration.

Answer 2

Any such law would be impossible to enforce in practice, as all the experts in this field would tell you.

No matter what the email would actually say when decrypted with its "proper" key, you can construct another key which decrypts it into another perfectly innocent message.

I think that laws have been talked about, and proposed, but never actually passed.