Despite Hacking Charges, US Tech Industry Fought To Keep Ties To Russia Spy Service

The U.S. tech sector pushed the government to keep ties with Russia's spy agency, despite reports that Moscow meddled in the U.S. presidential election, Reuters reported Friday. The sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administration last December outlawed U.S. companies from having relationships with Russia's spy agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), which presented a dilemma to Western tech companies. Reuters says, the FSB also acts as a regulator that approves the importing of technology to Russia that contains encryption, which is used in products such as cellphones and laptops. Joel Schectman, Dustin Volz and Jack Stubbs, reporting for Reuters: 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. The campaign, which began in January and proved successful in a matter of weeks, has not been previously reported. [...] The sanctions would have meant the Russian market was "dead for U.S. electronics" said Alexis Rodzianko, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, who argued against the new restrictions. "Every second Russian has an iPhone, iPad, so they would all switch to Samsungs," he said. [...] The lobbyists argued the sanction could have stopped the sale of cars, medical devices and heavy equipment, all of which also often contain encrypted software, according to a person involved in the lobbying effort. The goal of the sanctions was to sever U.S. business dealings with the FSB -- not end American technology exports to Russia entirely, the industry groups argued. "The sanction was against a government agency that has many functions, only one of them being hacking the U.S. elections," said Rodzianko.

Excuse me, Miss Mash...

[Gay Boner Sex]

The whole Russian allegation thing has been brought out in the MAINSTREAM as FAKE NEWS. Keep living that lie, bud. Did you not get the memo from your string pullers?

--GBS

Once again

[jediborg]

Once again politics tries to divide us and make US-Russia relations worse, while commerce tries to keep us together because it turns out it doesn't matter what country you are from, we ALL want to MAKE MONEY!

Re:

[haruchai]

"what country you are from, we ALL want to MAKE MONEY!"

Christians & the nations they control should not be preoccupied with making money.
Read the Bible if you don't understand why.
For over a thousand years, Christians did not charge interest on loans to other Christians. That was a crime, called usury.

Re:

[jediborg]

Well I completely disagree, sure on a spiritual, philosophical level the primary goal of each person should not be to make money. But if you are providing a service others find valuable, or manufacturing a product millions of others want to buy, you are doing good in this world. Unlike the time of Jesus its possible to make money in an ethical fashion. I sometimes even wonder who has done more to feed the world, the catholic church which donates millions of dollars every year and thousands of canned goods t

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

the primary goal of each person should not be to make money... Jesus its possible to make money in an ethical fashion. I sometimes even wonder who has done more to feed the world, the catholic church which donates millions of dollars every year and thousands of canned goods to the homeless? Or McDonalds, which has served BILLIONS and BILLIONS of hamburgers for such a low cost even a panhandler can pay for a meal after just an hour of begging on the streets?

How about governments, that regulate the methods in which individuals organizations can participate in flow of money such that those relatively inexpensive hamburgers are safe to consume - because you can bet that if there were a less expensive, less safe way to serve them McDs would be adding that profit to their franchisees and shareholders. In other words, it is only through rule of law and regulations protecting the common good that McDs and companies like it are able to make a profit and serve to many

Re:

[jediborg]

Rule of law absolutely helps protect the people, their property, and ensures that companies make money ethically without trampling on the rights of others. Unelected bureaucratic regulatory agencies? Not so much. They usually end up being 'captured' by the very industries they pretend to regulate. In many cases in history the industry itself actually asks/calls for regulation, so that they can take it over and end up with an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

something something

[Revek]

Greed and something.

despite?

[Errol backfiring]

It could just be that buying the elections from the Russians is cheaper than buying the politicians directly.

The old adage

[Lucas123]

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

Money always wins.

[Anonymous Coward]

Silicon Valley companies make noise about LGBT issues, but do business in the Middle East.

The leaders of said companies also claim to support worker rights, but manufacturer goods in China where workers throw themselves off buildings due to stress.

And now "The President colluded with Russia, but we refuse to risk our money over it".

Re:

[Holi]

I'm all for globalization, but I am not willing to give up rights for it.

Wake me...

[oh_my_080980980]

When Reuters finally publishes independent verifiable evidence that the Russian government hacked one voting machine. As such there is no evidence. Even the US government admits no one voting machine was hacked, regardless of who the hacker may be.

But it's nice to know that Reuters peddlers in fake news.

Re:

[Rockoon]

..and some people had hopes that at least with Trump there would be a change in our foreign policies.

...guess not. The only small difference seems to be a testing of the waters of support for destabilizing Saudi Arabia also. After we throw them into revolution, I wonder which side we will support.

Critical thinking

[Dunbal]

The U.S. tech sector pushed the government to keep ties with Russia's spy agency, despite reports that Moscow meddled in the U.S. presidential election, Reuters reported Friday.

So basically the press is complaining that their fake narrative hasn't managed to impact behavior?

Re:Critical thinking

[Rockoon]

Did you see how quickly they backed off on their fake news narrative?

Sure, now you only see Trump calling the press fakes news, but the whole country was calling the press fake news that moment when the press was actively trying to label youtube and facebook as fake news. I seem to recall the press pushed the narrative for a little under a week before switching to Jill Stein and Gary Johnson.

Make no mistake, the press wants the power to decide elections. The internet stole it from them.

old guy here...

[k6mfw]

...remember back in the days when doing business with Soviet Russia can either create suspicion, loss of security clearance, loss of job, or land you in jail. < /sarcasm >

Re: old guy here...

[guruevi]

And still the US companies managed to do business with them going as far as providing their government copies of space shuttle designs etc.

Iran and North Korea is a bigger shithole than Soviet Russia ever was with virtually no customers yet they all have Microsoft and Cisco gear.

Re:

[F.Ultra]

So the NSA?