> its never been a real concern

Except it has been. There are people in multiple countries, including the US, Singapore and Taiwan, facing lengthy prison sentences for this. In the US in particular, violating export controls is a game you only play if you're looking for years of free federal accommodation.

Examples:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-authorities-shut-down-majo...

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/chinese-national-and-tw...

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-man-arrested-smugg...

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2d9y18g73o

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/25/taiwan-ch...

https://asiatimes.com/2026/11/taiwan-to-criminalize-nvidia-a...