4 ms·

This is a very old and well-known case https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto_AG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto_AG

himinlomax 5y ago
Yes, I was surprised when it resurfaced as news recently, having learned about it last millennium. I'm still not clear about what's new here (apart from the Swiss politics angle).
- boomboomsubban 5y ago
  The political angle is pretty significant, it's basically stating the Swiss intelligence agencies were more loyal to the CIA and BND than their own government.
  - 1cvmask 5y ago
    There is no jail time for such a “crime”.
    - boomboomsubban 5y ago
      No, but it's reasonable to expect the Swiss government won't happily continue employing you.
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
  - himinlomax 5y ago
    Yeah, sure, but why is it coming up 25 years later?
    - makomk 5y ago
      As I understand it, one of the things that was only discovered recently is that the Swiss intelligence services knew about this and kept their own government in the dark.
- makomk 5y ago
  What's new is that (amongst other things) evidence has come to light proving that they were literally owned by the CIA for most of their operational lifetime
dredmorbius 5y ago
The story was broken in 2015, though only the bare outlines were disclosed then. A much fuller disclosure came a year ago. I would doubt that the general public is aware of it at all. Dismissing this as "old" and "well known" seems highly inaccurate.
- morsch 5y ago
  Oh, it's way older than that. Here's a story from 1996: https://www.spiegel.de/politik/wer-ist-der-befugte-vierte-a-681416ee-0002-0001-0000-000009088423?context=issue https://www.spiegel.de/politik/wer-ist-der-befugte-vierte-a-...
  - natmaka 5y ago
    Way, way older. At least 10 years. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto_AG#Compromised_machines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto_AG#Compromised_machines Excerpt: Crypto AG had already earlier been accused of rigging its machines in collusion with intelligence agencies ((...)) Suspicions of this collusion were aroused in 1986
  - dredmorbius 5y ago
    Suspected, as early as 1986. Confirmed via memo in 2015, exposed in 2020. Degrees of proof and documentation differ among these. And this still fails to establish the "well-known" aspect.
    - natmaka 5y ago
      >>> This is a very old and well-known case > Suspected AFAIK in those circles "suspected" creates a "case", and this one was quite big given the suspect (the US) and the period (before the fall of the USSR). > as early as 1986 AFAIK in those circles 1986 is, from now, "very old".

Yes, I was surprised when it resurfaced as news recently, having learned about it last millennium. I'm still not clear about what's new here (apart from the Swiss politics angle).

boomboomsubban 5y ago
The political angle is pretty significant, it's basically stating the Swiss intelligence agencies were more loyal to the CIA and BND than their own government.
- 1cvmask 5y ago
  There is no jail time for such a “crime”.
  - boomboomsubban 5y ago
    No, but it's reasonable to expect the Swiss government won't happily continue employing you.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
- himinlomax 5y ago
  Yeah, sure, but why is it coming up 25 years later?
  - makomk 5y ago
    As I understand it, one of the things that was only discovered recently is that the Swiss intelligence services knew about this and kept their own government in the dark.
makomk 5y ago
What's new is that (amongst other things) evidence has come to light proving that they were literally owned by the CIA for most of their operational lifetime

dredmorbius 5y ago

The story was broken in 2015, though only the bare outlines were disclosed then. A much fuller disclosure came a year ago. I would doubt that the general public is aware of it at all. Dismissing this as "old" and "well known" seems highly inaccurate.

morsch 5y ago
Oh, it's way older than that. Here's a story from 1996: https://www.spiegel.de/politik/wer-ist-der-befugte-vierte-a-681416ee-0002-0001-0000-000009088423?context=issue https://www.spiegel.de/politik/wer-ist-der-befugte-vierte-a-...
- natmaka 5y ago
  Way, way older. At least 10 years. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto_AG#Compromised_machines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto_AG#Compromised_machines Excerpt: Crypto AG had already earlier been accused of rigging its machines in collusion with intelligence agencies ((...)) Suspicions of this collusion were aroused in 1986
- dredmorbius 5y ago
  Suspected, as early as 1986. Confirmed via memo in 2015, exposed in 2020. Degrees of proof and documentation differ among these. And this still fails to establish the "well-known" aspect.
  - natmaka 5y ago
    >>> This is a very old and well-known case > Suspected AFAIK in those circles "suspected" creates a "case", and this one was quite big given the suspect (the US) and the period (before the fall of the USSR). > as early as 1986 AFAIK in those circles 1986 is, from now, "very old".