I am about to submit a new Sales app to the Apple App Store.
The users need to send their sales data to their head office daily. To do this the app zips the sales data and attaches the zipped file to an email.
This zipped file is password protected for security, and will only be used by the head office.
Would my app be regarded by Apple as containing encryption when I submit it to the App Store ?
Here are the rules for export compliance: https://help.apple.com/app-store-connect/#/devc3f64248f
A zip file has nothing to do with govt. export encryption requirements - say 'no' to that question when submitting an app in that example.
Thanks - I've looked at this, but doesn't seem to address my particular situation.
Everybody in the WORLD has access to zip utilities. They're talking about encryption methods that aren't generally available outside the US.
The issue is - "This zipped file is password protected for security"
See the explicit discussion in the www.bis.doc.gov website referenced above.
Just because it uses encryption doesn't make it export controlled. As I said above, Apple is only concerned about export of encryption technology that's not already avaliable to the ENTIRE world.
You may be an expert, I am not. I quoted a government document that I recommend you read to verify your position. I suspect you will discover that your opinion may miss important aspects of the regulations. By the way, this is not Apple’s concern. It’s federal regulations in the US.
The point is, you can't export control something that's already been exported a bazillion times. The cat's already out of the bag.
True, but the help doc I posted above says that even using HTTPS (!!) technically requires submitting a Self Classification Report to BIS.
That may be a valid ‘point’ but the question is about law and regulations, not points.
The document Apple cites doesn't say anything about HTTPS (or zip, for that matter).
If there IS a regulation about exporting zip (I haven't been able to find it), it would fall into the same ridiculous category of it being illegal to sell beer and pretzels at the same bar in North Dakota (real law).
I've always said that zip files should be outlawed 😉
Reread my post above and the l_inked article. Zip is unregulated; encrypting it makes it subject to regulation; depending on what is used to encrypt it makes it possibly subject to a regulatory exemption. It’s easy to criticize any regulation that must cover a broad category of things. On the edge of those things it will always err even while getting it correct in the specific area for which it is intended. That’s why a responsive government is important not a ban on all regulations based on objections to edge effects.
