The ebay item......

GY-521 MPU-6050 MPU6050 3 Axis Accelerometer Gyroscope Module DOF 6-axis Sensor
https://www.ebay.com/itm/GY-521-MPU...340640?hash=item3622a2fbe0:g:OPQAAOSwVaVZ0gli
The warning.....
It appears this item is restricted for export by the Department of Commerce under the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Export Administration Regulations, EAR (15 CFR, Parts 730-774). EAR restricted items may or may not require a license, depending on the end user and the ultimate country of destination.


Directing the seller to export without complying with the regulatory licensing and documentation requirements is a violation of United States law. Please consult the BIS website at www.bis.doc.gov for more guidance. Also, please refer to eBay’s Military Items Policy for additional information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over an Arduino sensor most likely used in toy robotics?
Is this a legitimate government concern....or just over regulation & government paranoia?

First of all, this is an outdated piece and MUCH more sophisticated pieces can be bought from Pololu.com here in the US.
Second, if they start requiring you to register and get government licenses for everything.....what's next...bathroom use licenses?

Maybe it's a legit concern, but if someone really wanted high tech to do damage, couldn't they get completed ready to use military weapons on the black market much easier?

 

The ebay item......

GY-521 MPU-6050 MPU6050 3 Axis Accelerometer Gyroscope Module DOF 6-axis Sensor
https://www.ebay.com/itm/GY-521-MPU...340640?hash=item3622a2fbe0:g:OPQAAOSwVaVZ0gli
The warning.....
It appears this item is restricted for export by the Department of Commerce under the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Export Administration Regulations, EAR (15 CFR, Parts 730-774). EAR restricted items may or may not require a license, depending on the end user and the ultimate country of destination.


Directing the seller to export without complying with the regulatory licensing and documentation requirements is a violation of United States law. Please consult the BIS website at www.bis.doc.gov for more guidance. Also, please refer to eBay’s Military Items Policy for additional information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over an Arduino sensor most likely used in toy robotics?
Is this a legitimate government concern....or just over regulation & government paranoia?

First of all, this is an outdated piece and MUCH more sophisticated pieces can be bought from Pololu.com here in the US.
Second, if they start requiring you to register and get government licenses for everything.....what's next...bathroom use licenses?

Maybe it's a legit concern, but if someone really wanted high tech to do damage, couldn't they get completed ready to use military weapons on the black market much easier?

I don't even want to know how much of our tax dollars were spent investigating this non-issue.

 

This may be a hold over from earlier times when most electronics and certainly this kind of stuff was considered components for manufacturing munitions. Stupid or not, I kind of doubt much attention has been paid to accelerometers and gyros lately. More likely they are focusing on high speed stuff that can be used in nuke triggers and such.

 

FLIR infrared cameras have some stupid restrictions too

 

I don't even want to know how much of our tax dollars were spent investigating this non-issue.

How is is a non issue??? Have you heard of a little thing called terrorism?

 

This is what happens when $ and regulation mix. I got a A4 400 page book on electrical regulations in my country( well most of it goes the same for the EU)

Still haven't found a regulation that made me go. What!

 

Generally doesn't apply to consumer. It is the responsibility of a manufacturing company to understand if the technology they developed (often under a government contract) requires a license for export. They must also inform their domestic customers and know their customers' applications. They must also know the company, the individuals, end use and end use countries in order to get an export license. If a consumer has one and shouldn't, it is mostly on

Even old technologies have value, especially if they are repair parts for retired US Navy vessels currently owned/operated by other countries. Interesting cat and mouse games are played by the US military with the support of the export licensing agency (State, Defence, Energy - depends on the commodity being exported).

If an individual has one, and sells one, it is unlikely to be traced. That said, if one is being reimported into the US, then no big deal.

 

..what's next...bathroom use licenses?

Where have you been? North Carolina already has these types of laws.

 

The restrictions are not limited to this component and are designed to really put the squeeze on countries that are on the "state sponsor of terror" list (DPRK, IRAN, Syria, Sudan). Capacitors, ADC/DAC, MCU, DSP, FPGAs, etc.... are all on the list: https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/d...notices/federal-register-2014/990-ccl3-2/file

Terrorism restrictions have the primary purpose of limiting the development of any of these devices in a weapon of any type. I believe there is also a secondary, more punitive purpose of limiting technological advancement that occurs through experimentation. Perhaps in the hopes that it motivates the populace to put pressure on their rulers -- imagine being the unfortunate academic caught in one of these countries and not having access to any technology that existed past the mid-80's. It must be both incredibly frustrating, and intellectually crippling.

Wikipedia also lists the following reason:

• To prevent a shortage of goods in the domestic market because it is more profitable to export
• To manage the effect on the domestic market of the importing country, which may otherwise impose antidumping duties on the imported goods
• As part of foreign policy, for example as a component of trade sanctions
• To limit or restrict arms or dual-use items that may be used in proliferation, terrorism, or nuclear, chemical, or biological warfare.
• To limit or restrict trade to embargoed nations.

 

There is a reason that rockets launched from Gaza rarely hit their targets.

 

Mark Hughes is right. Besides, how much money would it take to have a tribe of people constantly going over all such lists and checking to see if such items have been matched or slightly outdated on the market?

 

I worked at a diagnostic ultrasound company in the 1980's. They used three very precise potentiometers for measuring the position of the transducer. They coast $400 each. At the time, I believe these pots were restricted for export. I always laughed when I envisioned the Russians buying a $50,000 medical instrument to get $1,200 dollars worth of pots.

 

There is a reason that rockets launched from Gaza rarely hit their targets.

Powered by Arduinos?

 

The ebay item......

GY-521 MPU-6050 MPU6050 3 Axis Accelerometer Gyroscope Module DOF 6-axis Sensor
https://www.ebay.com/itm/GY-521-MPU...340640?hash=item3622a2fbe0:g:OPQAAOSwVaVZ0gli
The warning.....
It appears this item is restricted for export by the Department of Commerce under the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Export Administration Regulations, EAR (15 CFR, Parts 730-774). EAR restricted items may or may not require a license, depending on the end user and the ultimate country of destination.


Directing the seller to export without complying with the regulatory licensing and documentation requirements is a violation of United States law. Please consult the BIS website at www.bis.doc.gov for more guidance. Also, please refer to eBay’s Military Items Policy for additional information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over an Arduino sensor most likely used in toy robotics?
Is this a legitimate government concern....or just over regulation & government paranoia?

First of all, this is an outdated piece and MUCH more sophisticated pieces can be bought from Pololu.com here in the US.
Second, if they start requiring you to register and get government licenses for everything.....what's next...bathroom use licenses?

Maybe it's a legit concern, but if someone really wanted high tech to do damage, couldn't they get completed ready to use military weapons on the black market much easier?

A couple of programmes in the old 16 bit Norton Utilities were denied an export licence to the UK - they contained decryption algorithms from the Bletchley Park computer. it was lifted while American intelligence officers supervised dismantling the equipment.

 

I worked at a diagnostic ultrasound company in the 1980's. They used three very precise potentiometers for measuring the position of the transducer. They coast $400 each. At the time, I believe these pots were restricted for export. I always laughed when I envisioned the Russians buying a $50,000 medical instrument to get $1,200 dollars worth of pots.

By extension, the Medical Instrument becomes export controlled if it had Export Controlled parts. The Pot manufacturer should have informed your procurement team and obtained sign-off from your management to cover their asses to prove they informed your employer. It's a hassle but fines are expensive the government takes it seriously.

 

By extension, the Medical Instrument becomes export controlled if it had Export Controlled parts. The Pot manufacturer should have informed your procurement team and obtained sign-off from your management to cover their asses to prove they informed your employer. It's a hassle but fines are expensive the government takes it seriously.

I was not directly involved in any of this so I don't know how this was handled. I suspect it was by simply not selling to any country that was restricted from having the parts. This of course did not prevent the Russians form diverting the purchase from its "proper" destination.

On a related note, for another product, I was looking at what was restricted and found that A/D and D/A converters were restricted according to the number of bits and conversion speed. Above a certain number of bits and conversion speed the product could not be exported. I imagine it was some sort of maximum accuracy/speed product restriction.

 

While I support the general attempt to deny this stuff to rogue states like NK, it's pretty much futile. There are a million ways bad actors can get just about any part they want.

 

Unless I'm mistaken.....

The US.......is restricting US citizens.........from buying Arduino (outdated) tech FROM CHINA......

First of all....Is China's government really going to allow it's weapons tech to be sold openly to US buyers? I don't think so. So is the US government protecting US citizens form other US citizens? If terrorists in the US wanted these circuits, how does this regulation stop them?

This technology is used in Drones and RC aircraft as well as robotic, and self balancing toys. Really, concerning THIS particular item, does it make anyone "safer"? And throwing broad, catch all nets over broad areas of items is even worse.

If anything...it simply keeps AMERICAN citizens from creating things that people in other countries where their government
is not as paranoid can.

So, exactly how does that prevent terrorism? Considering the scope of the US DEA and other enforcement budgets....and the tons of illegal narcotics that successfully land in the US daily, who are all the regulations stopping? Sure we do need laws to punish law breakers, but not laws that stifle creativity and innocent people. I'm not saying to just let the drugs flow into the country....I'm saying we need to focus resources on REAL threats and not go overboard with petty, cumbersome regulations.

Remember....the item in question is coming FROM China TO the US. Do we really have that many "terrorists" in America waiting to build high tech terrorist tools from outdated components they can simply order through 100 other channels?
In addition.....you can go to Pololu.com and buy FAR more advanced and updated version of this 3 axis accelerometer.

In fact, if I want one, I'll just but it from Pololu.com as suggested by others on the Arduino forums.

Like the post above points out......most rules and regulation only affect the law abiding.
All the regulations in the world rarely stop a determined bad guy.
Americas gun laws for example only squeeze law abiding citizens. Studies have clearly shown that statistically, you are safer around a private concealed carry license holder than even a police officer.

 

Mark Hughes is right. Besides, how much money would it take to have a tribe of people constantly going over all such lists and checking to see if such items have been matched or slightly outdated on the market?

not sure I understand......
So you're saying it's somehow better to just restrict everything so that everyone is safer ?

The US already has a nick name....."The Regulation Nation"

 

Unless I'm mistaken.....

The US.......is restricting US citizens.........from buying Arduino (outdated) tech FROM CHINA......

I think you are mistaken. This week, I received, via China post, 5 Arduino Nanos. Bought off of ebay. If there are restrictions, they aren't apparent.