Quoting Bopolissimus Platypus ([EMAIL PROTECTED]):

> that's probably why RedHat doesn't have it.  U.S. company, have to 
> comply with US export laws that classify cryptography as munitions.
> 
> US implementation of their export laws has relaxed recently (since 
> around 1999, 2000) but perhaps they aren't relaxed all the way
> yet.

More than enough that it no longer explains Red Hat's omission (at least
from the kernel RPMs they post for free download).  Here's an e-mail I
wrote on the subject (and you can read more detail at
http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/linux-info/crypto-export ):


Quoting Mike MacCana ([EMAIL PROTECTED]):

[FreeS/WAN:]

> Red Hat: US based, so it doesn't come with the distro.

FYI, benighted USA crypto-export laws are no longer a serious obstacle
to open-source crypto.

USA's Federal Commerce Department modified on 2000-10-19 its Bureau of
Export Administration's (BXA's) Encryption Items regulation to allow the
basically free export of binaries based on open source[1] source code,
requiring only the usual notification e-mail to BXA.  This is a further
modification to a liberalisation, earlier that year, of controls over
open source crypto in source-code form (the "TSU" exception to export
controls).

You can read about that, here:
http://www.bxa.doc.gov/Encryption/EncryptionRuleOct2K.html

Disclaimer:  I am not a lawyer, let alone an expert reader of Federal
tea leaves.

[1] Naturally, they don't use anyone _else's_ definition of open source,
but felt obliged to invent their own bizarre definition, encompassing
software for which no fee or payment is required for object code (other
than reasonable and customary fees for reproduction and distribution).

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