On 03/15/2013 10:08 PM, Michael Butash wrote:

I won't use skype for the same reason. I'd held off for x years they've existed, and was going to make one finally as a client used it for official and non im, but soon as microsoft bought them, I wrote them off.

Microsoft will not say no if the government tells them to (antitrust, anyone?). Blackberry did this in india actually making the news forced to give up access to a foreign government, but no news here as they already do. They'll have your cell or wired isp give up raw bitstreams of your traffic with or without a subpoena if they're that interested.

I was reminded of this when I read an article today in The Register about Canonical working with the Chinese government to produce a version of ubuntu customized for China.
From http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/22/china_makes_linux_os_with_canonical_help/

Because the software is open source it's unlikely that any backdoors could be added into the Ubuntu OS without the global Linux community taking notice.

This contrasts with Skype, which is available in a Chinese-flavour that spies on its users and logs information about them talking or making phone calls about sensitive subjects to the repressive state. The software is delivered as a partnership between local company TOM Online and Microsoft.

-- 
"I get my copy of the daily paper, look at the obituaries page, and if I’m not there, I carry on as usual."

Patrick Moore