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I operate under the assumption that open source projects are compromised by states. If you espouse unpopular ideas or are yourself a state don’t rely on it.


Interesting, I'd more likely assume the same for closed source projects as there is less transparency into the supply chain


Lets pretend what you are saying is true, which it is not. Who would you want to access your data ? The State or the "underworld". Many countries have laws on how to access your data. The underworld, you may wake up dead.

Granted there are countries that act like a Criminal Org., but if you live there you have more issues than your data.

With proprietary software, it is a much larger chance that backdoors exist than in Open Source. Many of us heard of 1 issue where it was claimed a project had a Gov sponsored BH in it. They did a long audit and found that was false.

Eventually Open Source backdoors will found in Open Systems. Proprietary you are SOL unless you do very expensive and very hard testing. Even then it is doubtful you will find a backdoor.


It is true. Denying trivial truths with the purpose of not giving an inch does not add to one's argument, it weakens it.

Plenty of closed source products will happily backdoor their products on request, without a warrant, if they are confident they will never be found out. That's the point. Not that FOSS source is somehow inviolable to nation-states with virtually infinite resources, many of which sponsor or contribute to the finance of a huge percentage of the development of FOSS themselves.

It's easier to find backdoors in FOSS if you're looking, because you're allowed to look. But somebody has to be looking.



It’d be cheaper and quieter to compromise a few key employees in a private company…




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