this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2025
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Today I Learned

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The software was classed as munitions and one needed an arms dealer's license to publish it, including online. The creator of PGP published the full source code as a book, as these are covered under first amendment rights.

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[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 78 points 2 days ago (6 children)

Fun fact: They made encryption on Ham/GMRS radios illegal because they didn't want the average citizenry to have access to secure off-grid comms without government spyware on networks that they control.

Reject Smarphones, Return to Amateur Radios. Just modify some radios, add a raspberry pi to do enccyption on the voice before it gets transmitted.

THEY CANT ARREST US ALL! (seriously tho, I haven't heard of the FCC actually doing anything, unless you were jamming the airport radios or something crazy)

[–] Natanael@infosec.pub 25 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's illegal on licensed HAM channels, but legal on unlicensed channels like the 2.4 and 5Ghz ranges

Don't ask me why the distinction still remains

[–] missfrizzle@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 day ago

international treaties, for one. second because lack of encryption discourages commercial/non-hobbyist use. third because the spirit of Ham is for Hams to all listen and transmit to each other.

[–] missfrizzle@discuss.tchncs.de 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I think FCC still takes it pretty seriously.

just use Meshtastic/LoRa. you can use encryption and you don't need a Ham license. your output power is limited but I've heard of people getting 50+ miles of range for reception.

specifically, for ham you're not allowed to obscure the meaning of your transmissions. this means no:

  • symmetric cryptography
  • numbers stations (one-time pad ciphers)
  • communicating in codewords ("the Falcon has left the nest, over!"

but you can use:

  • compression
  • commercial telegraph codes (e.g. 22415 = "Partly cloudy with a chance of showers"), as long as you're using a public codebook
  • message authentication codes (to prevent forging messages)
  • (arguably) asymmetric cryptography for signatures, identity challenge/response
  • encrypted control messages for hobbyist satellites (special exemption)

so authentication is possible, just not privacy.

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

… this sounds like a fun project for the high school electronics club

[–] josefo@leminal.space 2 points 2 days ago

Hell is a fun project for me too lol. I wonder if I could layer it with ggwave for shit and jiggles

[–] bigfondue@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The primary reason is the FCC can't tell if the encrypted transmissions are commercial or otherwise illegal. The amateur bands would be full of high frequency trading brokerages, drug traffickers, and spies.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 days ago

...they definitely can arrest a bunch of people. A better way would be to challenge it in court.

Or you could use other protocols like LoRaWAN

[–] GreenShimada@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Encryption using IP over HAM is still illegal - you can't access Lemmy because it's an HTTPS site, because we live in the 21st century.