[rabeener]

I usually like Motherboard but this is sensationalist anti-Google BS.

>>Google may be simply trying to stay in line with export legislation—it’s not totally clear if providing these devices to people in these countries would violate any US or international embargoes or export laws

It’s understandable that Google’s legal team would look at this and say, embargo laws are hard and this is new tech that involved cryptography so let’s not risk violating those laws and make sure we don’t send our keys to embargoed countries.

Or in other words, let’s not risk helping activists around the rest of world by sending what turns out to be embargoed tech to embargoed countries.

[kevin_b_er]

Google is most definitely trying to stay in line with embargo rules. It is illegal to export anything to Iran without an explicit license. And this is one of those few laws that permits piercing the corporate veil to go after those involved in the export. Google execs, project managers, and maybe individual engineers, can be gone after directly if they chose to send these things to Iran or Syria.

Motherboard is trying some kind of shaming ritual on Google, but it won't work, because those laws are very potent.

[jbarberu]

Yeah, dealing with countries under direct economic sanction might not be the best of ideas.

While I strongly dislike Google/Alphabet for many reasons, this just seems like they're being responsible.

[StanislavPetrov]

Its a pity so few see the irony in the fact that those in DC who scream loudest about the sanctity of free markets are also the greatest proponents of international embargoes when it suits their political agenda.