[Feature Request]: Make disabling encryption and authentication optional in ham mode #8675
Replies: 3 comments 2 replies
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Everyone in Canada is in lora range of the US and using the US preset. |
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That's neither true nor relevant. The fact that some Canadians are within the range of the USA is not relevant. A person in Canada is obligated to obey Canadian law. A person in the USA is obligated to follow US law. I am familiar with both because I hold licences in both countries. In Canada, we use the US preset because of what I hope was an accidental oversight. Meshtasic refers to "Region" and, for Europe, correctly identifies the EU. However, there is no entry for Canada, Mexico, or North America, resulting in no preset for where I live. Just to be clear, this is not a political issue. Canada and the US are separate countries and have different laws. New Meshtastic users in Canada are left wondering what "Region" to select. if the true intent of Meshtastic is to remain international, it is not appropriate to force US law on the rest of the world. |
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I do not speak for Meshtast.org, these are my own thoughts as a Canadian. My main argument is not ever letting the standard ISM and HAM network blend. |
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Platform
Cross-Platform
Description
In the USA, FCC regulations (Title 47 Section 97.113) prohibit "messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning." This is generally interpreted as prohibiting encryption, but the prohibition applies only when encryption is used to obscure the message's meaning. Digitally signing a message or using a symmetric message authentication code does not obscure the meaning of the message and therefore is not prohibited in the USA.
In Canada, the regulations state that hams may only use a code or cipher that is not secret. This clearly also does not apply to the use of cryptography for authentication purposes. In addition, it applies only if the cipher is a secret. For example, if I wish to use AES-256 (a published algorithm) and I publish the key, there is no secret. RAC has had discussions with ISED and developed a simple solution that you can read about here: https://www.rac.ca/encryption/
Please stop attempting to enforce regulations via software intended global use. It is the responsibility of the licensed amateur operator to comply with the law in their jurisdiction.
Disabling encryption in ham mode should be an option.
Disabling cryptographic authentication in ham mode should be an option.
Some amateur operators have a requirement to ensure that their amateur station does not communicate with stations not in the amateur radio service. However, in some situations and in some jurisdictions, doing so may be acceptable. The operator should be allowed to make this decision.
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