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> So when there is a backdoor-like situation in a product from a Western company it is not unreasonable to assume that it is not for nefarious purposes. This p

> So when there is a backdoor-like situation in a product from a Western company it is not unreasonable to assume that it is not for nefarious purposes. This perception is exactly why you will get backdoors from Western intelligence services in Western gear, but the Chinese can't pull it off. It's straight up cognitive dissonance. Western companies are the good guys. Western intelligence services are the good guys. They wouldn't harm "us" Westerners, it's gonna be OK... and the manufacturer will keep the intelligence services in check! We know since Snowden that they broke all the rules, but still, c'mon, it's not that bad, aight? But if you find a single thing in a Huawei device that looks remotely like a backdoor, hell breaks loose. Of course the Chinese state is behind it! You can't trust them. And: > it is not for nefarious purposes. Please tell me what on earth that purpose would be, for a company to backdoor their own commercial product. Why the f.ck would Cisco or Juniper want to backdoor their customer's networks for their own purposes? Their intent is to sell shit and "create value"! Backdooring your products does nothing to get either of these, but it can very much trash a whole product line. It's sad, but social signaling and valuation causes its exact opposite in this case. Edward Snowden's achievement wasn't revealing that NSA backdoors exist - people knew that before, but it was "tinfoil hat" country. Now it's common accepted knowledge. Unfortunately, that knowledge hasn't led to change just yet...

rplst8 7y ago
The difference is China murders it's citizens in broad daylight as a matter of policy and uses extreme amounts of force to cover it's tracks.
throw0101a 7y ago
> This perception is exactly why you will get backdoors from Western intelligence services in Western gear, but the Chinese can't pull it off. Western people go after Western companies for backdoors just as harshly as they go after Chinese companies. See the paranoia about the "NSA_KEY" variable. See people going after RSA for their RNG. > It's straight up cognitive dissonance. Western companies are the good guys. Western intelligence services are the good guys. No, it's because Western companies are, generally speaking, more independent of Western intelligence. Heck, Western companies actively work against Western intelligence: how much effort did Google expend in encrypting intra-DC links after the NSA's glass-tapping program went public? How much effort is Apple putting into crypto on their various devices?

rplst8 7y ago

The difference is China murders it's citizens in broad daylight as a matter of policy and uses extreme amounts of force to cover it's tracks.

throw0101a 7y ago

> This perception is exactly why you will get backdoors from Western intelligence services in Western gear, but the Chinese can't pull it off. Western people go after Western companies for backdoors just as harshly as they go after Chinese companies. See the paranoia about the "NSA_KEY" variable. See people going after RSA for their RNG. > It's straight up cognitive dissonance. Western companies are the good guys. Western intelligence services are the good guys. No, it's because Western companies are, generally speaking, more independent of Western intelligence. Heck, Western companies actively work against Western intelligence: how much effort did Google expend in encrypting intra-DC links after the NSA's glass-tapping program went public? How much effort is Apple putting into crypto on their various devices?