[deadcowboy]

Former NSA's chief lawyer: BlackBerry's encryption efforts led to its demise | ZDNet

Former NSA chief basically hinting that because BlackBerry didn't play ball with the government, BlackBerry fell on rough times? Is this borderline conspiracy? We all know how closely related the government, the telcoms, and the media are. Is it farfetched that there was a hidden motive for all the nastiness BlackBerry has experienced over the last few years?

Of course they were haughty and mismanaged following the introduction of the iPhone--no company would have done well given those circumstances. But it's pretty interesting to consider that there might have been some effort to damn BlackBerry for not hopping into bed with the NSA at the drop of a hat.

Posted via CB10

[OLY-JIM]

Is it true? Who can say as BB was once so poorly mismanaged...but probably not. However, if it is true, then let us all ardently hope that BB continues its policy of non-cooperation with the NSA. A company doesn't have to be the biggest in the market place to be wildly successful. :/

[Jakob Greve]

Well they pumped stock with no innovation and the management have clear incentive for stock pumping. It's hard to believe in the NSA roumour as the old phones with BES are still popular to the new phones.

[RoseBud68]

Been posted but hopefully this thread won't get locked.
http://forums.crackberry.com/general...kberry-974085/

[Galifrey]

Bad reporting.

Posted via CB10

[shaleem]

"BlackBerry fundamentally crumbled not because of its encryption efforts, but because it failed to keep up with consumer demand in the face of Apple and Google, and it botched any efforts to compete."
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The above quote says it all, in my opinion. Trying to blame the NSA is nonsense because it does nothing to explain why BlackBerry fell behind Apple and Samsung in Canada, Europe and Asia.

[anon62607]

The crux of the entire article is here:
He justified his claims, saying that countries like Russia, China, and the UAE, which require companies to hand over stored data to authorities to fight terrorism and other serious crimes, gave BlackBerry a cold reception.
"They restricted their own ability to sell," Baker said. "We have a tendency to think that once the cyberwar is won in the U.S. that that is the end of it — but that is the easiest war to swim."
In short: blackberry couldn't easily sell into some countries because the blackberry servers were not physically located in and subject to the jurisdiction of the country in question.

I think this article is NSA sour grapes over other companies implementing NSA-resistant procedures and technology and nothing in the article hints at any kind of conspiracy.

[Tre Lawrence]

Not again. Please.

[anon62607]

Not again. Please.

Your QR code URL link is 404ed.

[Tre Lawrence]

Your QR code URL link is 404ed.

Thanks for the heads up...

[gogogadgets]

You have to read pretty far between the lines to interpret it as, "The NSA killed BlackBerry." They're saying BlackBerry locked itself out of some markets, which is true.

Personally, I do not believe that the tsunami of unfounded negative publicity against BlackBerry over the past four years happened by accident. It's not a big stretch to think that an agency that wants to know everything about everyone would want to kill the one smartphone maker that makes life a little bit hard for them (and can actually afford privacy to someone who wants it) and is not subject to some of the zany laws that U.S. companies are. That's just my personal opinion, based on scant evidence (the bizarre anti-BlackBerry bent of the U.S. media + the Snowden revelations about how they can "play your life back like a movie").

[anon62607]

The NSA has two broad responsibilities, roughly, intelligence capabilities against foreign threats and protecting American secrets from foreign threats. The NSA had also expressed concern (per leaked documents) about blackberry use falling among US Government employees and this being something of a threat. The NSA licenses blackberry technology. If anything the NSA wants blackberry to be the sole cellphone supplier in the world because while it does believe it can attack and exploit blackberries it also seems to think that it is the only agency able to do so (in the BES context).

[mvpcrossxover]

in before dah lock heh heh