Despite hacking charges, U.S. tech industry fought to keep ties to Russia spy service

[Auggie]

Reuters / June 30, 2017

As U.S. officials investigated in January the FSB's alleged role in election cyber attacks, U.S. technology firms were quietly lobbying the government to soften a ban on dealing with the Russian spy agency, people with direct knowledge of the effort told Reuters.

New U.S. sanctions put in place by former President Barack Obama last December - part of a broad suite of actions taken in response to Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election - had made it a crime for American companies to have any business relationship with the FSB, or Federal Security Service.

SNIP

But the sanctions also threatened to imperil the Russian sales operations of Western tech companies. Under a little-understood arrangement, the FSB doubles as a regulator charged with approving the import to Russia of almost all technology that contains encryption, which is used in both sophisticated hardware as well as products like cellphones and laptops.

Worried about the sales impact, business industry groups, including the U.S.-Russia Business Council and the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, contacted U.S. officials at the American embassy in Moscow and the Treasury, State and Commerce departments, according to five people with direct knowledge of the lobbying effort.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-tech-insight-idUSKBN19L10I

Also from the link:

• Technology companies in the West have agreed to increasing demands by Moscow for access to closely guarded product security secrets, including source code.

• Russia's information technology market is expected to reach $18.4 billion this year, according to market researcher International Data Corporation.

• The sanctions would have meant the Russian market was "dead for U.S. electronics”

• Industry groups with a large presence in Russia include Cisco and Microsoft

Well, my head is going to explode -- U.S. companies are actually lobbying to EMPOWER RUSSIA TO HACK US??

Then again, it brings to mind how IBM profitted by selling technology that helped facilitate Nazi genocide.

If ever in doubt, follow the money. It explains everything (almost).

[leftstreet]

1. Oh my

Thanks for posting this

[Auggie]

2. My pleasure, of course

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. "Great, terrific, fuck 'em ... The whole point is to interfere with trade"

Quote from the Obama official, Kevin Wolf, who had to explain that sanctions were meant to hurt. He, of course, lost his job o nthe day Trump took over.

[Auggie]

4. The U.S. tech industry will keep fighting, too. Madness.