Shortly after its release, PGP encryption found its way outside the United States, and in February 1993 Zimmermann became the formal target of a criminal investigation by the US Government for "munitions export without a license".
在发行后不久，PGP加密走出了美国，在1993年二月，齐默尔曼变成了美国政府针对“没有授权的军需品出口”犯罪调查的正式目标。