Privacy

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NSA Asked Linus Torvalds To Install Backdoors Into GNU/Linux [2013] (falkvinge.net)

submitted 3 months ago by awiteb@lemmy.4rs.nl to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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repost from: https://falkvinge.net/2013/11/17/nsa-asked-linus-torvalds-to-install-backdoors-into-gnulinux

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[–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 273 points 3 months ago (4 children)

The story does not tell us how Linus Torvalds responded to the NSA, but I’m guessing he told them he wouldn’t be able to inject backdoors even if he wanted to, since the source code is open, and all changes to it are reviewed by many independent people.

Yeah I'm guessing the answer would be more colorful based on the historical data we have

[–] reisub@discuss.tchncs.de 127 points 3 months ago (2 children)

based on the historical data

https://github.com/corollari/linusrants

[–] bitfucker@programming.dev 105 points 3 months ago (1 children)

There aren't enough swear-words in the English language, so now I'll have to call you perkeleen vittupää just to express my disgust and frustration with this crap.

Beautiful

[–] zbyte64@awful.systems 33 points 3 months ago

It's like our very own Gordon Ramsay

[–] UniversalMonk@lemmy.world -3 points 3 months ago

https://github.com/corollari/linusrants

This is beautiful. Thank you! lol

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 44 points 3 months ago

Also experience shows that it's possible to backdoor software in very subtle ways that could go years without anyone spotting them. So if he had decided to he probably could have done it, despite Linux being open source.

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.world 19 points 3 months ago

I would pay money to see daddy Linus flip off some big shot intelligence official

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago

Oh man would die to see his reply. It would probably start with something like

"The fact that I have to explain this to a person who works in a national security agency makes me really worried..."