[nicpoulos]

Your specific statement was valid and good-natured, so I didn't mean to attack you here. All I'm arguing against is the adoption of a legal or de-facto definition of "encryption" based on architectural similarity to currently popular methods, rather than actual evaluation in situ. Most all practical applications of crypto trade security for functionality to some extent, and requirements for one or the other vary based on the use case. Future security gains, moreover, won't likely all be made on traditional grounds (e.g. increased susceptibility to brute force hacks). That's why I'm hesitant to support statements like "X company is misleading us by using the term 'encryption' because its closed-source approach doesn't appear to adhere to conventional notions on cursory inspection."

Much practical innovation comes from closed-source applications whose peer review comes in the form of commercial lab tests. Overly ossified technology standards & labels often force CIOs / CTOs / CISOs to build artificial barriers into their corporate procurement processes for optical reasons. In addition to engendering "check-the-box" complacency, these barriers absolutely stifle startup-driven innovation.