There is no restriction on encryption, just a restriction to not obscure the meaning.
See (PDF) https://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/projects/wireless/Data%20Encrypti...
See (PDF) https://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/projects/wireless/Data%20Encrypti...
I guess you could transmit the contents of messages in plain text but cryptographically sign the contents to authenticate. This would probably be useful to remotely administer infrastructure: e.g. have an "net operator only" mode for a repeater when pileups occur or somebody is not abiding by rules.