Re:I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
by HeadsUpHigh on Monday October 26, 2020 @06:20AM
(#24894529)
They are still considered munitions. That law passed just fine. So now there's someone re-implementing the algorithms in Europe because they can't be exported.
Re:I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
by jay_kyburz on Sunday October 25, 2020 @11:19PM
(#24892558)
I did concede in my original comment that a fascist government could make them illegal. I think it's far more likely than them just not being economical to make any more and disappearing from the market.
If we continue to give power to right wing extremists, all bets are off.
These regulations can easily outlaw general-purpose computing on the same grounds of being too dangerous for the society. I can remind you how encryption algorithms were considered "munitions" back in 1990s, less than 30 years ago. At that time one would possibly say that it will always be possible to bring a small bottle of water onboard of an airplane. Betting on things always being "naturally" available, without a conscious effort to sustain them, is a fraught enterprise.