karunr

unfortunately am a bit older, though still in good health and don't smoke. Was looking for professional organizations like the IEEE which might offer group rates.

Apple is able to do this today because instant message services not (yet) covered under CALEA. ( Carrier assistance for Law enforcement agencies.) If CALEA is updated to include instant messaging services, Apple would be legally obligated to have a method of intercepting these messages, possibly with a separate public key as discussed in other comments.

I have run a team where the QA manager reported to me. We did not suffer quality issues - because my responsibility & goals were to deliver quality products not just to release dates. So it really depends on business and upper management support in doing the right thing and setting the right goals.

I am a 1987 Manipal Institute of technology graduate. MIT Manipal may not be mentioned in the same breath as the IIT's but is (or used to be) in the top 100 engineering colleges in India. It is private and is much more expensive though I believe it was much more affordable to middle class families in the 1970s and 80s than it is today.

"Give me the wisdom the see the difference".

But sometimes people (Aaron Swartz comes to mind) find the courage to fight and try and change things even when the odds of winning against large companies or the government seem remote.

Sometimes humanity advances when certain individuals fight against the odds. I wish I had their courage.