Born In the NSA: These Former Spies Are Starting Companies of Their Own

First time accepted submitter ElyKahn (3637855) writes "The diaspora of startups with an NSA pedigree is rapidly growing. These startups, such as Sqrrl, Virtru, and Synack, are typically security-focused and often are commercializing technology projects from the NSA. However, coming from the NSA is a dual-edged sword... the technology is world-class and cutting-edge, but they must also fight the viewpoint of some that the startups are merely a front for the NSA."

Comments

Re:Nice try NSA!

[Chrisq]

It reminds me of when the BNFL changed the name of its nuclear generating and reprocessing plant from Windscale to Sellafield to lose the association with radiation leaks, fires, etc.

Shouldn't that be BORED in the NSA?

[Anonymous Coward]

I was BORED in the NSA
I was BORED in the NSA

Born down in a dead man's town
The first door kick I took down hit the ground
End up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up

Got in a little public network jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to my own land
To go and kill the geeky man

Come back home to commercial land
Hiring man said "son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my P.I. man
He said "son, don't you understand"

These days I think it's safe to assume

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

The NSA has its grubby little paws everywhere. Whether the company is in bed with them willingly is another matter.

I know a many European business owners who think twice or more before doing business with *any* US company, just because the US surveillance state isn't far behind.

Re:These days I think it's safe to assume

[Trepidity]

Unfortunately, we're increasingly discovering that the European intelligence agencies are pretty strongly in bed with the US surveillance state, too. It's not 100% clear if the situation is quite as bad, but there is substantial evidence that the German, French, Danish, Swedish, etc. intelligence services are routinely helping each other out. There's some suspicion that they're even doing some jurisdiction-laundering through these arrangements: the NSA can spy on Germans because they're foreigners, and then shares data with German intelligence that German intelligence wouldn't be able to legally collect on their own citizens. And vice versa, e.g. Swedish intelligence has apparently been spying on Americans and sharing the info back with American intelligence.

Re:These days I think it's safe to assume

[JaredOfEuropa]

Not sure if the situation is quite as bad here, but it's getting pretty bizarre. Apparently, British Intelligence gave (secret) advise to the Dutch intelligence services on how to circumvent legal objections to perform wiretaps, as evidenced by communication leaked by Snowden. When such practises were questioned in parliament, concern was expressed that limiting the amount of spying by Dutch intelligence services would mean that they'd have fewer data to trade with the NSA. Apparently these agencies have a tit-for-tat policy... By the way, the body that expressed that concern was not the intelligence agency, nor was it parliament, but the oversight committee that is supposed to keep an eye on intelligence agencies. Somehow, that doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling that my rights are assured...

Oh no...

[Parker Lewis]

Now I'll never be able to sing again the Bruce Springsteen song without remember this news title!

No such thing

[Charliemopps]

There is no such thing as a former KGB man.

Vladimir Putin - May 2000