US Government Pushed Many Tech Firms To Hand Over Source Code (zdnet.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Apple isn't the only company that has been asked to hand over the source code of its operating system. In an effort to find security flaws that could be used for surveillance or investigations, the U.S. government has made numerous attempts to obtain the source code from other tech companies. From the ZDNet report, "The government has demanded source code in civil cases filed under seal but also by seeking clandestine rulings authorized under the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a person with direct knowledge of these demands told ZDNet. The Justice Department wanted to draw outrage, painting Apple as the criminal. With these hearings held in secret and away from the public gaze, the person said that the tech companies hit by these demands are losing 'most of the time.'"

Comments

Turs out the US of A is no different!

[bogaboga]

...hearings held in secret and away from the public gaze, the person said that the tech companies hit by these demands are losing 'most of the time...

Can some one explain to me how this behaviour by our [democratic] government, is very very different as compared to similar action taken by "those regimes" to the east? I mean, I do not see the difference here!

Re:I thought we liked open source?

[MightyMartian]

If an organization or individual wishes to license their code under an open source license, then that's great. But when someone is forced to hand over proprietary code to the government via secret tribunals, that's very very fucking bad.