On 03/10/2013 05:05 PM, Daniel Golle wrote:
> On 03/10/2013 05:37 PM, Bastian Bittorf wrote:
>> * Daniel Golle <[email protected]> [10.03.2013 16:24]:
>>> However, the law over here says that it should not be up to the user to 
>>> decide that.
>>
>> i understand your thoughts, but linux/openwrt is not responsible for
>> fight with the law. otherwise we must e.g. built it without SSL for
>> several countries. the user is smart enough for that. if he is not,
>> it's not our fault. 
>>
>> the big question is: how deep you want to restrict the user
>> for protect for himself? imho, it there should be no restriction at
>> all, but ofcourse there are more conservative people out there 8-)
>>
>> also: in germany i'am allowed to power with 40.000 mW under
>> some circumstances, but my regdomain knows it better?!
>>
>> it's the same like having an english DVD with a regdomain code, which
>> a friend gave me as a gift, but my german player cannot deal
>> with it, because it's forbidden?!
>>
>> long story short: in the UI the user must select
>> the right country. if he dont want that, he knows why...
>> (unsure, if this enforces the correct regdomain?)
> Comparing radio regulations with DCMA cases (DVD country code) is not
> appropriate. No *user* ever got fined for operating a region-free DVD player,
> not even in the US. However, if you start using channel 14 outdoors @500mW in
> germany, you might well attract some attention...
> 
> If what you suggest is the official policy of OpenWrt to handle radio 
> regulation
> -- why don't we include stuff like
> https://code.google.com/p/iwleeprom/source/browse/branches/atheros
> and also adapt it to deal with in-flash EEPROM-data, i.e. have the art 
> partition
> R/W, so users can change their in-EEPROM regdomain settings (among other 
> things).
> Or just have CONFIG_ATH_USER_REGD enabled by default.
> We don't do that. Because it would make users violate the law without even
> knowing they do so. And get them fined by the Bundesnetzagentur, FCC or 
> whoever
> is in charge where they life. So I'm not talking about some silly DCMA-like
> issues, software-patents or your local dictatorship preventing you from using
> SSL (btw: OpenWrt binaries don't ship with any SSL implementation afaik).
> 
> Simply speaking: If I buy a TP-LINK router in germany and flash it with 
> OpenWrt,
> it will come with ETSI 0x68 regdomain (or similar) set in the "art" partition,
> which is marked read-only. OpenWrt *binaries* will not allow me to exceed or
> bypass the regulations the WiFi EEPROM suggests, in no possible way.
> If I know what I'm doing, I can recompile the image with CONFIG_ATH_USER_REGD 
> or
> maybe even change the in-flash EEPROM-data. However, then I apparently know 
> what
> I'm doing and it's just really my own fault if I violate the law.
> The default settings of the binaries on downloads.openwrt.org do *not* allow 
> me
> to do that. And that's what I'm talking about.

By the way, this is not entirely correct... a lot of the TP-Link routers
I've bought in Germany have the regdomain set to US in the art
partitition (the stock firmware gives me a list with many Countries and
allows me to set it to Germany), but when I flash OpenWRT onto it, I'm
stuck with the US domain, and I have to recompile the image with
CONFIG_ATH_USER_REGD to be compliant with the law.

Matthias

> 
> The danger is simply that people will flash OpenWrt and without even knowing
> start using frequency bands or TX-power-levels which they are not allowed to
> operate in their country.
> 
> This whole discussion is mainly due to the importer failing to set proper 
> values
> in the EEPROM and that's sad, but already happened.
> 
> 
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