It's possible this is less of a "kowtowing to dictatorial states" move and more "we can't afford to comply with somebody's law" [1]: As of 2009, non-military c

It's possible this is less of a "kowtowing to dictatorial states" move and more "we can't afford to comply with somebody's law" [1]: As of 2009, non-military cryptography exports from the U.S. are controlled by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security. Some restrictions still exist, even for mass market products, particularly with regard to export to "rogue states" and terrorist organizations. [...] custom cryptographic software, and even cryptographic consulting services still require an export license. You might argue that trying to regulate software to keep it from falling into the hands of terrorists is a fool's errand, and you'd be right, but until 1996 [2] it was illegal to export cryptographic software in the first place. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_the_United_States#Current_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_th... [2] https://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/04/21-37 https://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/04/21-37