The sales pitch is basically the only thing that can make it illegal, because it’s illegal to knowingly do anything for the purpose of assisting somebody else c

The sales pitch is basically the only thing that can make it illegal, because it’s illegal to knowingly do anything for the purpose of assisting somebody else commit a crime. That’s why it would be illegal to have a “burglary tools” section at a hardware store, even if they only difference between that and any other hardware store is words on a sign. Even with regards the restricting import, the government is largely limited to sanctioning particular actors involved in the transaction. I’m really a bit surprised that this isn’t more widely understood on HN. Anybody who operated a web server in the 90s is likely to know about Bernstein vs DoJ, and even if you operate one today you’re still likely to encounter the idea of an “export cipher”.