The license conditions are there to keep the airwaves open. By convention, Amateur Radio is pretty much used as a way to meet new people around the county / wo

The license conditions are there to keep the airwaves open. By convention, Amateur Radio is pretty much used as a way to meet new people around the county / world. It’s set up as a public commons, and encrypted traffic goes against that spirit. There is nigh on constant pressure from government regulators to take back the spectrum. One of the best political arguments the Hams have for maintaining amateur radio is that it is a common public space, like a park, or a town square. The worry is that if encryption were commonplace then you end up with a public park filled with anonymous men in hooded sweatshirts and ski masks, whispering to each other. The park gets closed. It’s not illegal per se. You must have a license (and therefore a callsign, your identity) to operate legally, and you lose your license if you are caught using encryption.