>>Our encryption technology and web servers are helping Al-qaeda. I wonder how different things would be if we had not eliminated the encryption export rules a few years ago.<<
A lot of the effect of those rules was a brain drain that sent encryption research overseas. It only hurt lawful researchers.
And don’t forget making our companies less competitive since they could only ship products with 40-bit encryption while foreigners’ products could ship with anything.
I understand the reason for export controls, but there was a point where the encryption controls did more harm than good, and that point was crossed years before the controls were dropped.