[Sir_Substance]

I'd throw two more hats into that ring:

- It looks bad to the public if companies directly pay the ransomware creator. Decryption companies can act as a PR "buffer" in that respect.

- By funneling the western worlds contact with ransomware creators through a small number of companies, we create an incentive for ransomware creators to follow through with providing the decryption keys and not play games with the price. If they fail to hold up their end of the bargain, their reputation will immediately be ruined within the small number of companies that do this.