The recent removal of the iconic Crypto AG logo from its building is the final milestone in the history of the once renowned firm that sold state-of-the-art crypto equipment all over the world. The iconic 1960s building, located in Steinhausen, Switzerland, is to be demolished to make room for apartments. This tale however has a stinging aftermath.
This milestone also ends the rather naive era of relying on foreign commercial firms for critical secure communications, certainly in today's digital world. The fate of Crypto AG was sealed in early 2020 when documents revealed the firm was secretly owned by the CIA and West-German federal intelligence service BND since 1970, making it the largest ever compromise of secure communications. Apart from the consequences for the many customers and the firm's reputation, this was also a tragedy for
those who worked at Crypto AG.
Take a look at the splendid photos from
the bandonned Crypto AG building, taken by photographer
Patrick Hürlimann. Seeing these pictures of the empty building, offices and storage rooms, you cannot but feel sad for the many employees, once buzzing around in the hallways and factory, who genuinely gave their best and took pride in developing quality equipment for the best crypto firm in the world.
Crypto AG also took good care of its well paid employees, including many benefits. The sailboat in one of the pictures is an eery reminder of the good times, when employees were allowed to sail the firm's boat on Zugersee, the nearby lake. Eventually, some of the firm's engineers and mathematicians became
suspicious about interventions by external advisors or illogical
modifications to their equipment, but they were either stonewalled by the
staff or suddenly lost their job.
To leave behind a lifetime of working can by tough, certainly when they always worked with pride, but imagine
seeing decades of hard work turn into an illusion of lies and spying. Not the career ending they
dreamed of. But they were not the only disillusioned ones.
Unaware that Crypto AG was owned by the BND and CIA, Swedish entrepreneur Andreas Linde took over the firm and its name in 2018 and established Crypto International AG. In the wake of the revelations, with the export license suspended, Linde had no other options than to dismiss virtually all employees in mid-2020.
Earlier this year, a special prosecutor was appointed to investigate the spy scandal. In May, the Swiss intelligence chief announced he will step down end of August, following criticism about his handling of the Crypto AG case after the scandal broke out.
More about Crypto AG on this Blog and Website
Crypto AG in Recent Press
1 comment:
An extremely revealing history of the backstage of international politics of the last decades and the worldwide implications of this type of operation.
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