[malandrew]

> pretty much dependent on the Western products and tech.

There is a big difference between being dependent on Western products and tech and owning/operating those Western products and tech. I guess the risk of backdoors is still there, but if you own and operate everything, you can implement security that mitigates these risks, and the alternative of not having access to the tech at all is untenable.

The real privacy and national security concerns with ridesharing are on the demand side, and AFAICT this deal lets both companies retain control of their demand side. Ultimately, this deal allows Yandex control over the information of Yandex customers and Uber control over Uber customers.