[sgc]

Blackmail is new? Of course providing the opportunity for blackmail is one of the primary concerns when foreign actors exfiltrate data. Blackmail is a lot older than the cold war, and has been going on as long as people have been doing embarrassing things.

It would be absolutely foolish to think anything other than that there are many spies for various governments working in telecom and other IT companies. It is likely their primary target, even before infiltrating government positions.