Is it acceptable to call openssl within an app sub

Question

I'm a bit unclear on what the rules are in terms of calling on processes outside of an application submitted to the App Store.

I have read that if you want to use other libraries/frameworks aside from Cocoa and the OSX libraries you must include it in your application (e.g., if writing you app in QT, Python or Ruby).

However, is it possible to call on openssl from within an app submitted to the store? Specifically, I'm writing an app in Mac Ruby and wish to use openssl for some cryptographic procedures.

As far as I'm aware, openssl is installed on every OS X machine, but I'm not clear if it's OK to make calls to it from my Ruby program.

Answer 1

As far as I know, you cannot call private frameworks (those under /System/Library/Frameworks) or, if you want to use third party frameworks/libs, you have to include them in the bundle resources. So I think using openssl should be OK. But we are talking about cryptographic software, which is a delicate matter. App Store rules say that (iTunesConnect Developer Guide):

Export laws require that products containing encryption be properly authorized for export. You will be asked a series of questions regarding app encryption once you indicate you are ready to submit your binary and anytime you update the binary after that. Based on the answers to these questions, you may need to provide a PDF copy of the commodity classification ruling (CCATS) confirming classification of the app.