C I A non-profit venture capital company

[Donald ramsbottom]

SNIPS

>Basis for selection is:
>
>  The value of the proposed technology R&D solution to the priority
problems of
>  the Central Intelligence Agency [...] The commercialization potential of
the
>  technology [...] Commitment to commercialization [...] Strength and
validity
>  of the business model.
>
>which is the same as for any VC firm if you substitute their name for "CIA".
>Sorry to disappoint everyone, but sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.

Very true, but most VCs donot have as their main line of business the
circumvention of the type of product which their VC arm is helping to fund.
VC's generally are only interested in good returns on the capital they
invest, they are not that interested in the minutae of the product (other
than for their primary goal of ensuring they make money), but in this case
the TLA has another "professional" interest. 

I agree with JY, that for many firms of this type a link up with a TLA is
something of a Coup, and great for the marketing department. From a
security stand point, unless you are a USG dept. or US multinational, there
must be something of a question mark over using a product sponsored by a
"foreign" spymaster. All I can say is that if I were thinking about
anonymizing, I would not use a product from a company which championed its
links to an instituition who I MAY want remain anonymous to.

Would you be as happy if the VCs were the Chinese or Zimbabwean SSs?

I am not a security professional, (in the techmarine sense) unlike many
here, but if I were employing one to sort this out for me (anonymizing), I
would not be happy with any product linked to TLAs, that may be one mans
paranoia, but another mans common sense.




Donald Ramsbottom BA LLb (Hons) PGdip
Ramsbottom & Co Solicitors
Internet and Global Encryption Law Specialists & General UK  Law Matters
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