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Comment by bowlofpetunias | Hacker News Reader

No, it sounds like no product from any American company can be trusted as long as the current regime is in place.

At least that's the message that comes through loud and clear in the rest of the world.

What makes you think the NSA isn't willing to work with countries outside of the US, either directly or through another spy agency?

Willing, sure, but probably less able, at least outside of the close allies like the UK.

Why less able?

Threatening with legal punishment for noncompliance doesn't work, and neither does appealing to patriotism.

Are you seriously asking why a branch of the the USA's government has less power outside of the USA?

if you consider the fact that the nsa and cia often collaborate closely, and then look at the amount of influence the cia has often displayed in the past, towards foreign countries/regimes etc., gejjaxxita's question seems quite reasonable.

Plus the blackmail opportunities spying affords.

Only the same things that makes me think american companies would not accept money from foreign spy agencies.

The same influence approach ($10m to choose a supposedly okay algorithm) would work just as well for most similar non-American companies, it isn't claimed that RSA did this because of some mandate which would fail if they'd be headquartered in, say, France.

Why keep the contract secret though?

Of course the contract must be kept secret for PR and product reputation reasons.

It's just as if an antivirus company to accept a contract with a major adware distributor to keep their products marked as appropriate - legal, but best kept secret.

That's quite a leap from the information in that article.

Add it to all previous and you have some basis.

Companies that have been compromised[1] - MS, Apple, Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Carriers, Backbone providers - now they are going after security providers. From the big guys only Intel is standing. And that may as well be the next leak.

Also think if they subverted some of the big guys antiviral software - it runs at ring 0 usually.

[1] Blackmail, threats, bribes, lawful intercepts, warrants, NSLs

That article is merely one piece of information in a long chain (Echelon, the Snowden revelations, Lavabit), and all of them add up to the conclusion that you better not trust any US-based/originated IT security system.

> any US-based/originated IT security system

Perhaps, but the poster to which I replied said any US company, period. Could be he meant what you meant, but that's not what he said.

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