Comment by anonym29

8 days ago

>if that backdoor were discovered, their reputation would be shot, permanently, and they'd stand to lose out big, much much much more than any possible benefit they'd derive.

Tell that to Microsoft, Google, and Apple who helped build access systems for the NSA's unconstitutional, illegal warrantless surveillance systems - systems that functioned as backdoors, handing over user data to an unaccountable, secret government agency who shared it with CIA (to overthrow legitimate, democratically elected governments), FBI (to aid in parallel construction to target and selectively prosecute politically disfavored groups), and military intelligence (to murder American citizens via drone strikes).

Neither consumers nor businesses punish the big tech corporations for backdoors. When surveyed, people purport to care, but do not reduce their use of the platforms in question.

This is an ahistorical take. Google was big mad, and I think Apple was too.

  • The claim wasn't that they were happy to help build backdoors, just that they did, and didn't face any real consequences or backlash for it. Though on that note, Microsoft was (and still is) institutionally eager to cooperate with the intelligence community in betraying the trust of consumers.