Stupid export control (hey, uncle Sam) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: blueskull
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 01:12:04 am
content: At my title said, what a stupidity it is!I just ordered a blackfin dev kit from Mouser, and I received an email that requires me to sign a file that I am not violating US EAR regulations. Fornication under consent of the king!What makes it under EAR regulation? AES!!! They must be shitting me, I can download AES code from anywhere, and all new intel processors has built in ones!They required me to sign that stupid thing just for it contains AES and elliptic encryption! Even it is marketed as generic audio DSP chip! Oh, with AES based anti-clone!Wake up, uncle Sam, it is not cold war now, the age of espionage has gone!

author: langwadt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 01:22:28 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on May 12, 2015, 01:12:04 amit is important to have something on everyone so that if needed you can them aways on a technicality

author: matseng
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 04:13:01 am
content: Same happened to me a while back. I tried to order a dozen of XMEGA32A4U's but Element14 said "No can do, this item requires an export license having a 37 working days processing time". Turns out that they have a AES/DES crypto unit in them.Funny thing is that I think they actually are manufactured in the same country I tried to purchase them in - Malaysia.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 04:28:02 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on May 12, 2015, 01:12:04 amYou must be kidding.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 05:38:05 am
content: Quote from: zapta on May 12, 2015, 04:28:02 amPossibly, being from China and not having to deal personally with The Creature (till now), he has an overly rosy understanding of how the US government 'works', and to what aims. An amusing historical irony.I notice the rate of relinquishment of US citizenship is breaking records. Despite rapidly increased fees and obstacles. I wonder why?

author: Tandy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 09:34:53 am
content: Bureaucracy in the United States is crazy. To travel from the UK to the USA it is necessary to fill out a visa waiver form with questions like "are you a terrorist?" So lets see if I'm not a terrorist I tick the box that says no, and if I am a terrorist I still tick the box that says no. As if anybody will answer yes!The rules are made up by lawyers and government officials that have to do something to justify their existence. These days I avoid traveling to the US if I can help it and rarely do business with American companies. It is easier to do business with a communist country than it is the United States. The American economy is committing suicide by pushing people away.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 02:17:36 pm
content: Quote from: Tandy on May 12, 2015, 09:34:53 amIs this the exact wording of the question or did you rephrase it to make it look stupid?I would bet that the real question is broader and asks about involvement or support of organizations that the US dims to be terrorists organizations. Providing a false answer makes the deportation process quicker and with less legal challenges.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 02:22:14 pm
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on May 12, 2015, 05:38:05 amBecause it's expensive to be an American, especially for expatriates.http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/02/20/275937138/why-more-americans-are-renouncing-u-s-citizenship

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 02:28:01 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on May 12, 2015, 06:30:34 amSo what?Do you think the North Koreans buy their stuff with a shipping address in Pyongyang?

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 02:31:41 pm
content: QuoteI believe the exact question is more like:"Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in terrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were you involved, in any way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies"Paraphrasing that as "are you a terrorist?" is not totally unreasonable - perhaps "are you now, or have you ever been, a terrorist" would be slightly more accurateAs to whether anyone ever ticks "yes" - well, had you beenconvictedof those activities you would be supposed to tick "yes".

author: Tandy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 02:34:26 pm
content: 1) Do you have a physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict; or do you currently have any of the following diseases:ChancroidGonorrheaGranuloma InguinaleLeprosy, infectiousLymphogranuloma venereumSyphilis, infectiousActive Tuberculosis2) Have you ever been arrested or convicted for a crime that resulted in serious damage to property, or serious harm to another person or government authority?3) Have you ever violated any law related to possessing, using, or distributing illegal drugs?4) Do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, sabotage, or genocide?5) Have you ever committed fraud or misrepresented yourself or others to obtain, or assist others to obtain, a visa or entry into the United States?6) Are you currently seeking employment in the United States or were you previously employed in the United States without prior permission from the U.S. government?7) Have you ever been denied a U.S. visa you applied for with your current or previous passport, or have you ever been refused admission to the United States or withdrawn your application for admission at a U.S. port of entry? *

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 02:53:50 pm
content: Yeah, I had to answer those questions all the time and I used to find them absolutely stupid. However, as zapta mentioned, they will ease the legal process of deportation/conviction as they have material proof that you lied to the government.BTW, the I-94 form can be seenhere.

author: rolycat
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 03:00:39 pm
content: Quote from: Tandy on May 12, 2015, 02:34:26 pmWhen you see questions as stupid as this you know there are lawyers involved.Only a lawyer would see lying about engaging in genocide as a more serious crime than actually doing it.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 03:52:36 pm
content: I used to live and work in Hungary. In 2005 or so I placed an order with a big hardware supplier in the USA called McMaster Carr and they rejected it telling me that "they did not supply orders behind the Iron Curtain". No amount of persuasion worked, I even emailed them copies of the CNN web pages showing the fall of the Berlin Wall.BTW, Hungary joined NATO in 1999.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 04:14:59 pm
content: That is why South Africa has such a hard time sending diplomats to the USA. They pretty much have to answer yes, and unless they are on the list of people who are allowed entry even though they did reply yes they get refused. Was a bit of egg when the State president's spokesperson, along with half the team, were refused entry because the list was outdated.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 04:39:15 pm
content: Quote from: Tandy on May 12, 2015, 09:34:53 amThat's the old system. Now you need to go to a US government web site at least 72 hours before travelling to the US. You must fill out their not-a-visa form. Pay a non-a-visa fee of $14. If they approve you, this not-a-visa allows you to travel to the US.

author: langwadt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 04:40:35 pm
content: Quote from: rolycat on May 12, 2015, 03:00:39 pmbut proving and punishing you for lying on a form is simpleLike Al Capone, they couldn't get him for organized crime, but it was easy to show he cheated on taxes

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 12, 2015, 04:45:10 pm
content: Quote from: langwadt on May 12, 2015, 04:40:35 pmTo prove that one lied on the form about not being terrorist, you need to prove that he is terrorist in the first place.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 01:45:59 am
content: Quote from: langwadt on May 12, 2015, 04:40:35 pmExcellent example.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 03:59:59 am
content: Quote from: zapta on May 12, 2015, 02:17:36 pmAlmost exact wording. In reality it even looks more stupid. Or scary, depends whether or not you've lost respect for the US government.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 04:20:53 am
content: Or the old "Has your luggage has been tampered with, without your knowing?"The "terrorist" question I think is so they can add (effectively) entrapment charges. You lied on X, but we prove you to be Y, so you lied (perjury). Lawyers just eat that shit up.Tim

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 04:28:13 am
content: I used to like the question about being involved in "moral turpitude", no one knew WTF that meant, but it sounds bad, so you just answered "No".

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 04:35:43 am
content: Quote from: Howardlong on May 13, 2015, 04:28:13 amI used to use software which had "turpitude" in one of its error messages. I guess that was probably the developer's only opportunity to use the word in a meaningful context in their entire life.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 04:40:45 am
content: Quote from: ivan747 on May 13, 2015, 03:59:59 amCan you provide the actual text so we can form our own opinion?Again, I would bet it's much broader than "Are you a terrorist?" as you claim.

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 05:40:08 am
content: From the online I-94 form I see the exact statement is:"Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or interrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were involved, inany way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies?"From a strictly linguistic point "been involved" does necessarily imply an active participation, or should also victims of terrorist attacks, espionaged businessmen and Jews who survived Nazi concentration camps need to answer 'Yes' to the question?

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 05:58:12 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on May 13, 2015, 04:25:45 amOne of history's great ironies that the people most suited to serve don't want to, and those least suited are the most interested in so doing.Tim

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 06:05:42 am
content: Quote from: T3sl4co1l on May 13, 2015, 05:58:12 amWell said. It brings to mind Yeats:"The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity"

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 06:45:21 am
content: Quote from: mtdoc on May 13, 2015, 06:05:42 amYeats, he was a passionate dude, right?

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 07:06:36 am
content: You're thinking of Byron.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 10:20:22 am
content: I used to have a boss who, during his idealist student years in the late 1960s, was a member of the Communist Party in the UK when it was all a bit right-on in view of the Vietnam war. Of course, since then, he became rather less extreme and radical, realising that conforming is generally less stressful, and ended up wearing a suit and tie to work.I believe that technically he may still be banned from travelling to the US, certainly that was the case in the 80s.

author: rolycat
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 10:41:04 am
content: Quote from: zapta on May 13, 2015, 01:45:59 amTerrible example.If that were the motivation, why bother asking if the applicant is a terrorist? Just ask if they have ever cheated on their taxes, or pirated movies, or whatever is easy to prove.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 11:06:37 am
content: Quote from: rolycat on May 13, 2015, 10:41:04 amHmm, so you suggest that somehow supporting terror organizations correlates with pirating movies. That's an interesting angle.

author: Artlav
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 11:10:21 am
content: Reminds me of how i was looking for deep IR photodiodes.Japanese are willing to sell them and sent me the price list, but to actually sell they ask for many documents, including proof that you are not going to build a nuclear bomb or guided missiles with it (who should i ever ask for a paper like that? O_o ).Then i found a local Russian supplier, which to the contrary wasn't allowed to sell them to the general public at all, so theygaveme a couple as a gift instead (no law against that, funny enough).Another story is how i was pummelling Digikey with facts for a few days, trying to convince them that theyareallowed to ship LEDs and E-Ink screens to Russia.Eventually someone sentient read the e-mails, and sent the package along with an apology.Stupid laws. Pfheh. Terrible aftertaste.

author: rolycat
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 11:41:31 am
content: Quote from: zapta on May 13, 2015, 11:06:37 amI suggest nothing of the sort. Blatant misrepresentation is a poor substitute for reasoned argument.Unless you truly believe that only mobsters ever cheat on their taxes?

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 03:02:10 pm
content: Quote from: rolycat on May 13, 2015, 11:41:31 amI believe that most mobsters cheat on their taxes. Not the case with your suggestion of terror supporters pirating movies.

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 03:12:26 pm
content: QuoteMaybe a note from your parents? Or the Bishop?I had to fill out my target market (there was an option "military" ofcourse, which might have been a trap), annual usage and such for a datasheet to an ancient glow modulator tube which I found in a box of old supplies.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 05:06:46 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on May 12, 2015, 01:12:04 amQuote from: matseng on May 12, 2015, 04:13:01 amYeah, really crazy and has been that way for a while.I recalled sometime in the 1980's, we could not ship an IBM-AT compatible to Singapore due to it's advanced technology and possible "dual use" (civilian and military), so certain additional export regulations has to be satisfied.What made that particularly crazy was that Singapore was manufacturing those AT Compatible then.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 05:24:39 pm
content: Quote from: Tandy on May 12, 2015, 09:34:53 amNot that I would suggest it - it would be really interesting to see what happens if someone checked YES.Probably the SWAT team with their guns drawn 2 minutes after submitting the form.

author: m100
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2015, 06:29:32 pm
content: Quote from: Tandy on May 12, 2015, 02:34:26 pm...and on that point medicine, legal to buy without prescription in a pharmacy in the UK can carry a jail term in some countries (even when in transit) leading to exclusion from the USA

author: eas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 07:48:42 am
content: Quote from: rolycat on May 12, 2015, 03:00:39 pmYou think lawyers are bad? Consider the alternative. Paramilitaries. lynch mobs. vigilantes, private armys...No thanks. I'll take rule-of-law, as ridiculous as it often is.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 08:32:28 am
content: Quote from: coppice on May 12, 2015, 04:39:15 pmWhat's the URL? $14 sounds like a cheap enough way to see if one is on their 'naughty list'.Though, it's moot really. I'm certain I won't under any circumstances be traveling to the USA anytime before the second revolution.Quote from: zapta on May 12, 2015, 02:22:14 pmIt was a rhetorical question, to avoid launching into a rant about... you know. "Losing respect for the US government" as someone else put it. I'm aware some are giving up their US citizenship purely for financial reasons. There are other motivations, including ones 'financial' in the sense of refusing to ever give another cent to a genocidal warmongering, murderous, lawless, lying and illegitimate regime. Or co-regime, if you felt like distinguishing the Israeli and US governments as somewhat separate entities, for some reason.Edit to add:Getting back to ridiculous US export regulations, a couple of years ago I tried to order some plain old thin springy steel shim sheet. Placed an online order with McMaster-Carr. My record of what happened:QuoteI gave up. Maybe now I could use 'assisted purchase' (disguised identity) via my US reshipper (which is run by Russians, therefore sane.) But f*ck McMaster-Carr and the entire stupid, evil system with which they're collaborating.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 10:30:45 am
content: Thank you for confirming my export problems with McMaster Carr. Given that the Internet is a truly global system I don't see the point of them making their web pages viewable to anybody outside the USA if they are unwilling to ship to them. After all, the BBC iPlayer can organize access on a per country basis so it can't be all that difficult.

author: rolycat
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 10:42:00 am
content: Quote from: eas on May 14, 2015, 07:48:42 amHow did laughing at the idiocies of US lawyers become rejection of the rule of law?Fortunately we don't have lawyers in the UK.Just solicitors and barristers

author: Delta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 11:21:48 am
content: On my Self Assessment tax return there was a box for "Income from illegal activities", can't see the tax man getting much info there...

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 11:44:45 am
content: Quote from: Tandy on May 12, 2015, 09:34:53 amI think the reasoning behind that sort of question is that they can refuse entry/boot you out more easily for making a false declaration on the form than for any actual offence, which is harder to prove.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 01:39:54 pm
content: Quote from: Delta on May 14, 2015, 11:21:48 amHeh, interesting reading.http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=542368YMMV depending on country. I would vaguely guess things are more-or-less similar, or at least in most commonwealth countries?Tim

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 02:18:00 pm
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on May 14, 2015, 08:32:28 amBummer! We will miss you greatly.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 08:50:47 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on May 14, 2015, 11:44:45 amOne would think they'd have to prove the offense, before they could claim you lied about it. But that would be if there actually was still Rule of Law in the USA. As it is they don't seem to need much excuse.The author of an online comic I like (http://www.goblinscomic.com/) lives in Canada. He's quite famous worldwide among gaming and comic circles. He related a story of how he was scheduled to run a stand at some big US comic convention. Stand, hotel, visa, all arranged well in advance. At US customs they noticed a stack of his printed comics in his luggage. He told them they were to be sold by him at his stand. He was detained, given the full nasty cop treatment, then deported. On the grounds that he didn't have permission to 'work in the USA'. Comic books confiscated, and no he wasn't allowed in even without them, and too bad about all the expenses he'd already paid and the loss of his self-published subversive, dangerous books. Comic books.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 09:21:26 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on May 12, 2015, 02:17:36 pmYou get similar questions (on a form) here in the UK if you want to obtain a basic security clearance to allow you to work in certain establishments here or have access to certain information.The form directly asks if you have been involved in 1/ terrorism or 2/ espionage or 3/ sabotage or if you have ever tried to undermine a Parliamentary democracy.They also ask if you are a junkie or have psychological problems or if you are in deep financial debt etc.

author: ConKbot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2015, 10:10:22 pm
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on May 14, 2015, 08:32:28 amSo them saying "Screw dealing with export papework" is collaborating with "the system"McMaster is a finnicky bunch, they really only want to do MRO stuff, not be a supplier of bulk goods to people. If ask to get a quote on a truck load of aluminum bar stock (for example) they dont cut prices any, and will even tell you that you can probably find better prices from a dedicated metal vendor. They know their section of the market and are happy to stay firmly planted in it.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2015, 12:01:29 am
content: Export controls are a tremendous pain on the vendor side of things as well. Just classifying your product can be a full day's work if it's your first time doing it. The classification documents are a whole lot of 'if any of 2-A through 2-E or all of 3-A through 3-D except as described in 6-A.1b', so you've really no choice but read any section that might cover your product from end to end. A lot of it also depends on the specific definition of normal words, which may or may not be explicitly defined. Once you've gone through all that and identified the applicable ECCN(s) you can cross reference that with the five different country lists to find out whether you need a license to export it to any given part of the world. And then you have to check that the person you're sending the item to isn't on a naughty list (you literally download a spreadsheet from a government website). And that's not even getting into ITAR.I don't blame McMaster at all for just saying fuck it, we won't expert anything...

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2015, 05:02:24 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on May 14, 2015, 08:50:47 pmTerra nonsense. Foreigners don't have a right to enter or stay and it's in the discretion of the host country. This is how it is in most countries if not all.Here is how your country deals with the unwanted

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2015, 02:06:43 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on May 15, 2015, 05:02:24 amI can't enter the US because I'm not technically a foreigner (even though I am lol) but don't hold a US passport. My British one isn't good enough...

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2015, 03:36:55 pm
content: You can only laugh because it hurts so much. I am old enough to recall the news reports from some of the journalists who visited the Soviet Union during the late 1950s. They continually derided the horrible police state (travel documents required to go anywhere), and also the state of travel (passengers had to carry their own luggage onto airplanes and stow it in bins near their seats). Also we had recently completed a war against a country with a near religious treatment of the "Vaterland".Now the land of the free sounds like the USSR of bygone days and we have great resources devoted to protection of the "Homeland".All in the name of a false sense of security. We have done more to harm our own well being than has been done by all of the successful terrorists combined.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2015, 03:50:01 pm
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on May 15, 2015, 03:36:55 pmIf you say that the current personal liberty at the US is at the same level as the USSR then you don't know what you are talking about.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 16, 2015, 02:41:26 am
content: I agree, we are still far better off than they were then. Also better off than they are now. But I feel strongly that we are far worse off than WE were then. The first derivative of the curve has the wrong sign, and there are some indications that the second derivative is negative. The gap is much smaller and is closing.By the way, I will also agree that there are broad elements of our society that are better off today than they were in the 60s. Being a black is no picnic now, but it is much better than it was then for example. But the freedoms which are nominally available to all of us have been reduced.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 16, 2015, 03:17:36 am
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on May 16, 2015, 02:41:26 amI agree with that, the trend is in the wrong direction.

author: don.r
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2018, 04:58:43 am
content: If anyone is interested I am considering buying the 1095 High Carbon 3" X 50" roll and would be happy to ship a 3" wide strip (good for 21 buttons) of 0.588" length to anyone interested (+ postage and handling). Reply in my thread here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/interest-in-hp-button-spring-metal/If I have enough interest, I'll go ahead with it.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2018, 12:37:11 pm
content: Quote from: Tandy on May 12, 2015, 09:34:53 amIt gets even better than that domestically. For instance gun registration (and presumably background checks) cannot be used to prosecute those who may not legally purchase or posses firearms because the 5th Amendment does not allow self incrimination.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haynes_v._United_StatesSo at least domestically, criminals can lie on such a question without fear of prosecution but the innocent may not leading to some really screwed up situations and incentives.As far as imports and exports, I know of cases where people importing obsolete decades old equipment even if originally manufactured in the US cannot because they contain tunnel diodes. Think of it as a jobs program for government employees and lawyers.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2018, 09:28:59 pm
content: What is the problem with tunnel diodes?

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2018, 09:54:02 pm
content: Since when was there an issue with tunnel diodes, I bought some 5mA tunnel diodes from a US ebay seller no problems and a TEK 7T11 from the US.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2018, 11:40:25 pm
content: Quote from: David Hess on March 02, 2018, 12:37:11 pmNo, they don't have to self-incriminate but they are still on 'prohibited persons' lists and usually subject to probation or parole search. In other words, they can still get a knock in the middle of the night. It's amazing how many convicted felons are holding firearms, knowing that they are prohibited.California has a dedicated team working prohibited persons. In some cases, these people actually sought to purchase firearms and were denied. SOME of the denials are being prosecuted for perjury, among other things.Here's how you get on the list in California:https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/firearms/forms/prohibcatmisd.pdfThe new program:http://lawcenter.giffords.org/disarming-prohibited-persons-in-california/All of which is sort of goofy because most convicted felons don't buy guns, they steal them!We have a new law requiring the registration of ammo buyers and all purchases are recorded. Once again, this is pretty useless, bad guys steal ammo, they don't buy it!In terms of export, I agree with McMaster-Carr - I wouldn't be bothered with international orders. Too much paperwork and too much risk to the business should a mistake be made. They are under no obligation to sell to foreign buyers. Caveat: I do business with McMaster-Carr from time to time. I wouldn't want to see them forced out of business.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2018, 01:47:24 am
content: Quote from: German_EE on March 02, 2018, 09:28:59 pmAt various times there have been import and export restrictions on various high frequency components and instrumentation and tunnel diodes got caught up in that. Various high technology for the time microwave diodes were used in RADAR and microwave systems at one point.Quote from: chris_leyson on March 02, 2018, 09:54:02 pmUsually there is not and there should not be but arguing with a bureaucrat is a waste of time that they and your lawyer if you use one get paid for.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2018, 02:44:29 am
content: Forget if Mouser needs the citizenship in it's account details, if any, did you put yours in there ?

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 07:11:48 am
content: Having a US company refuse to sell me some thin sheet spring steel "because export restrictions" was pretty frustrating.But later I had an even more frustrating and absurd encounter with that mentality.http://everist.org/NobLog/20170224_summer_vacuum_odyssey.htm#almostThe best part came afterwards, when I found one of those 'restricted' (not) turbomolecular pumps for free. That's further down in the article. But I'd still have liked to have spares as backups.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 07:42:48 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on May 14, 2015, 08:50:47 pmThat just sounds like he didn't have a work visa in which case they were right to refuse entry. Almost any other country will refuse entry if they find you are planning to work without having the proper visa, providing one is required. I know that both Canada and Australia do the same.

author: plazma
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 10:02:15 am
content: Does McMaster-Carr ship to forward shipping companies?

author: Beamin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 10:09:49 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on May 12, 2015, 01:24:30 amIn the US encryption is considered an arms like a missile or machine gun.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 03:55:34 pm
content: Quote from: Beamin on March 04, 2018, 10:09:49 amWhile it may or may not be important relative to AES, the topic here, it is not surprising that encryption is on the arms list. Encryption (and failures thereof) have had more to do with the outcome of wars than most other armaments. And anyone who thinks war is over hasn't paid much attention to history. We humans just don't seem to be wired for peace.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 04:37:08 pm
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on March 04, 2018, 03:55:34 pmWar is certainly not over, but the ability of the military to keep a lid on encryption might well be. If I put an AES module into an MCU, the resulting device incurs export control restrictions. However, any moderately competent digital designer can put a similar module together for themselves in a short time. This stuff is just not controllable any more.

author: Tom45
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 05:27:56 pm
content: Twenty some years ago I purchased some software from a company in Novosibirsk in Siberia. After processing the order they asked for my PGP public key to encrypt the software they were sending to me.I then realized that the encryption export controls were already a total failure.That was the first and last time I ever had need to use PGP. I installed PGP in order to complete the transaction but never used it again.A story I heard about Tektronix and export controls involved Tek marketing some high bandwidth device from a company in France. When someone in Europe tried to purchase one from Tek, it was prohibited as being in violation of export controls on advanced technology. Tek had to tell their customer to purchase it from the French manufacturer.

author: Beamin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 06:38:09 pm
content: Quote from: Tom45 on March 04, 2018, 05:27:56 pmHow does the software physically get to you? They send a DVD? How is the encryption used? Does it protect you or them? That's to stop piracy?

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 06:52:23 pm
content: I read somewhere that Tektronix cripples the performance of their real time spectrum analyzers and the FFT function on their MDOs to avoid export restrictions.

author: Tom45
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 08:00:15 pm
content: Quote from: Beamin on March 04, 2018, 06:38:09 pmIt was an anti-piracy thing to protect them. I don't remember if it was an email attachment, or a link to an ftp server. But it was definitely an electronic transfer rather than a physical disk or tape. The software was encrypted using my public key so that only I could unencrypt it and make use of the file(s).

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 09:11:37 pm
content: The AES algorithm is clearly out. As are those in PGP. I strongly suspect that they do not representation the state of the art. Any countries which have newer encryption technology, or ways to get past the trap door algorithms which are the core of much cryptography are going to want to keep a close hold on them.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 09:59:19 pm
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on March 04, 2018, 09:11:37 pmThe problem with encryption is that it doesn't work that way. To paraphrase a common saying it's easy to come up with encryption you can't break, but hard to come up with something others can't. The current popular algorithms are so because many people have tried to break them and failed. They have been tested by many teams in many ways and none have found a way through the encryption. If you develop an algorithm for yourself, you're setting yourself up for failure because it hasn't been properly tested. It doesn't really matter how amazingly talented your people are.Besides, encryption is all about making data inaccessible even when everything about your algorithm is know to the enemy. The only thing protecting your data should be the lack of knowledge of your key. Security through obscurity is a terrible thing to rely on and withholding the workings of your algorithm is unlikely to grant much addition protection. Something like AES is considered secure because everyone knows how it works, yet people are still not able to access the information secured with it.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 11:45:44 pm
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on March 04, 2018, 09:11:37 pmOf course its out. Its an openly published and peer reviewed specification. That has nothing to do with the export controls that exist on fast efficient implementations.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2018, 11:57:32 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on March 04, 2018, 09:59:19 pmRolling my eyes. The NSA is the largest employer of mathematicians in the world."Don't roll your own crypto" is nebbish advice parroted endlessly by internet bikeshedders.Quote from: Mr. Scram on March 04, 2018, 09:59:19 pmThis is definitely not the case for the Suite A algorithms. It also completely fails to account for the possibility that not all keys may be equally secure. Or for padding attacks or chosen-{plaintext,ciphertext} attacks.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2018, 12:01:04 am
content: Quote from: coppice on March 04, 2018, 11:45:44 pmIt's silly to presume that these can be kept out of the hands of evildoers when hardware AES is built in to very modern processors and many, many smaller controllers. Any regular laptop is stuffed full of chips with AES capabilities.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2018, 12:18:06 am
content: Quote from: helius on March 04, 2018, 11:57:32 pmI'm rolling my eyes right back at you.Did you miss the "It doesn't really matter how amazingly talented your people are." bit that was specifically added to preventively counter that inevitable statement?As for your last sentence, actual arguments instead of insults are more than welcome to be discussed

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2018, 12:36:34 am
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on March 05, 2018, 12:01:04 amAny American MCU with hardware AES steps out of the EAR99 classification most simple MCUs fall under, and is covered by export controls. Its a sufficient PITA that I've actually spec'd out MCUs in pairs - one with and one without the AES module. All other features being identical.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2018, 12:39:32 am
content: Quote from: coppice on March 05, 2018, 12:36:34 amI know they're controlled, but at this point it seems silly to presume that evildoers won't get their hands on them. They're literally everywhere.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2018, 02:58:54 am
content: You totally misinterpreted my comments and those of some others.Most "good" cryptography that doesn't depend on a one time pad depends on the key pair method you describe. While many bright people have tried and failed to come up with general ways to determine the private key from published information, and while there are proofs of how difficult it is with known methods, I know of no general proof that it cannot be done, or that there is no possible method which dramatically shortens the time and/or effort.If someone has come up with a method behind closed doors they will likely be very quiet about it. For some surprisingly different reasons. Some might be quiet about it because of the chaos in commerce that would be caused if confidence in current methods were compromised. Others will be quiet because of the perceived advantages in reading others mail.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2018, 03:08:33 am
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on March 05, 2018, 02:58:54 amWho are you responding to?

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2018, 04:54:57 am
content: Quote from: coppice on March 05, 2018, 12:36:34 amSeems silly when every modern Wifi chip has AES built in. That includes chips like ESP8266 that are becoming jellybeans in the world of IoT.

author: Beamin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2018, 08:34:17 am
content: Just set your password to "password" no one will think to use that because that's the worse password there is and it's reverse psychology.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2018, 08:45:30 am
content: Quote from: Beamin on March 10, 2018, 08:34:17 amReverse psychology my dictionary attack.

author: Iwanushka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2018, 06:12:56 pm
content: Quote from: m100 on May 13, 2015, 06:29:32 pmGet doctors letter and you can carry any drug you want, I have some many health problems that literally half of my luggage is syringes and ampules and even in countries where they have death penalty for those meds there are no problems, and no Im not talking about pracetamol/ibuprofen...

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2018, 06:47:32 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on March 13, 2018, 05:18:44 amI think its just errors in their listing, because the ESP32-D0WDQ6 and ESP32-D0WD only vary by their package size, yet one is shown as restricted and the other isn't.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2018, 10:54:33 am
content: Quote from: coppice on March 13, 2018, 06:47:32 amIn general this information of Export Control classification is obtained from the manufacturer. They better not get this wrong or they will be slapped with a hefty fine from the department of commerce or defense...

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 13, 2018, 02:45:53 pm
content: Quote from: Beamin on March 10, 2018, 08:34:17 amIt had to be done.https://youtu.be/_JNGI1dI-e8