Thanks for that pointer. I agree with GP's criticism, though, at least the way the article is written. I was trying to understand it through the lens of the nuclear analogy and failing drastically, because whereas those scientists were developing PRO-nuclear technology, these ones are (a priori, to first order) developing ANTI-surveillance technology.
The nuclear analogy is a little odd, given that one of the reasons we don't have even more nuclear weapons / more states with nuclear weapons / nuclear weapons out in the wild is not technological... but because of international treaties and enforcement.