Encryption Export

When you submit an app to AAPL’s iTunes App Store, you’re asked:

Export laws require that products containing encryption be properly authorized for export.

Failure to comply could result in severe penalties.

…

Does your product contain encryption?

Ever wonder what happens if you answer “yes”? Well, about 45 days of paperwork happens, according to the nice folks at Zetetic who’ve laid out a roadmap to the process of getting your app approved for export.

Since it can take 1-2 weeks to even open the account required to submit a request for export authorization, it’s probably a good idea to get started as soon as you begin to think that you might one day include encryption in your product. And, according to this guy, even using SSL might count (he was waiting to hear back from an export compliance specialist @AAPL when the blog post ended) as “including encryption”.