Google Gives Free Security Keys to Activists, but Not If You’re in Iran or Syria

motherboard.vice.com

Buried in the middle: "The reason for limiting the distribution of the company’s tools, it appears, is due to embargoes with those countries, as well as exportation legalisation, which regulates the sale or distribution of certain technologies, including those dealing with cryptography."

Exactly this. Huge repercussions from the US government, not some kind of nefarious political play by Google.

Note they're not saying much in protest of this mandate, though...

Wonder if they're this quiet about Chinese relations?

Let's say an individual still managed to get a key to someone in Syria, or Iran.

Would google's services still work with that key even though Google presumably would know they have a key and their location?

Google doesn't ban them.

But not much internet works in Syria, and not many Google services are allowed in Iran.

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