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Google Gives Free Security Keys to Activists, but Not If You’re in Iran or Syria
- Piskvorrr 7y agoRemember when RSA was considered weapons-grade and illegal to export from USA? Well...apparently the future's still distributed pretty unevenly.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- villedepommes 7y agoThe future is asymmetrical
- Piskvorrr 7y agoAlways has been. Some episodes tend to resurface, though...
- rabeener 7y agoI usually like Motherboard but this is sensationalist anti-Google BS. >>Google may be simply trying to stay in line with export legislation—it’s not totally clear if providing these devices to people in these countries would violate any US or international embargoes or export laws It’s understandable that Google’s legal team would look at this and say, embargo laws are hard and this is new tech that involved cryptography so let’s not risk violating those laws and make sure we don’t send our keys to embargoed countries. Or in other words, let’s not risk helping activists around the rest of world by sending what turns out to be embargoed tech to embargoed countries.
- jbarberu 7y agoYeah, dealing with countries under direct economic sanction might not be the best of ideas. While I strongly dislike Google/Alphabet for many reasons, this just seems like they're being responsible.
- kevin_b_er 7y agoGoogle is most definitely trying to stay in line with embargo rules. It is illegal to export anything to Iran without an explicit license. And this is one of those few laws that permits piercing the corporate veil to go after those involved in the export. Google execs, project managers, and maybe individual engineers, can be gone after directly if they chose to send these things to Iran or Syria. Motherboard is trying some kind of shaming ritual on Google, but it won't work, because those laws are very potent.
- StanislavPetrov 7y agoIts a pity so few see the irony in the fact that those in DC who scream loudest about the sanctity of free markets are also the greatest proponents of international embargoes when it suits their political agenda.
- algaeontoast 7y agoWhy on earth would you trust a security key given to you by google. Especially if they sent it to YOU and obviously know that this key is now associated with YOU and only YOU?...
- duskwuff 7y agoBecause the purpose of that security key is to allow you to securely identify yourself to Google?