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Comment by jo909 | Hacker News Reader

Cellebrite is an Israeli company, not Japanese. They are owned by a Japanese parent company, but I'd argue that is not the same.

Volkswagen owning 100% of Lamborghini does not make the latter a german car manufacturer.

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Yeah, I'd say that this is actually a piece intended to try to prevent any political fallout with a close ally of the US (Israel) at the expense of the nuclear whipping boy (Japan).

I'd say this is mainly financial news, where the ownership and stock market representation is actually relevant. But it's a very weak piece to learn much about Cellebrite, and makes it sound like they build pinball machines and games before hacking iPhones.

It sounds like Cellebrite employees are largely ex unit 8200 members (Israel's SIGNIT program).[1] The article really doesn't seem to talk about Cellebrite's history much at all.

[1]http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/fbi-cracks-the-locked-iphone-... (he says unit 822 :/, doh)

Any tech company in israel is largely ex unit 8200 members, along with other military tech units such as Mamram, Lotem, Matzov, Ofek and more.

The Israeli military enlists every 18 year old in the country, and if you've studied computers in high-school or at home as a hobby, you're more than likely to spend 3-6 years in a technological unit.

Is 8200 really considered to be just a "technological unit?" They're one of the most advanced military SIGINT organizations on earth, aren't they?

I'd say that in many ways Japan is more important an ally than Israel.

Far more importantly, strategically. But Japan has a fairly firm and stable political position compared to Israel. So it does not weigh on either side.

Israel's political position is not under serious threat except maybe the governance of the occupied territories. I suppose they have more vocal allies in the US Congress.

Israel's unknown unknowns make it far more precarious.

The wrong suicide strike at the wrong religious site... and 190 million Arab Muslims are now faced off against a:

• nuclear-armed nation

• populated largely by the survivors of genocide and their descendants

• with one of the most advanced militaries in the world,

• squeezed into a space no bigger than New Jersey

• surrounded by enemies on all sides.

If that's not a recipe for regional chaos.... I really don't know what is.

Which is probably why their lobbying of the United States (and Russia as well) is so sophisticated.

Can you produce any evidence to support your theory?

The headline is evidence for his theory. It's just not particularly strong.

Israeli company helping the FBI investigate a terrorist's phone. Why would this cause political fallout? That's exactly what allies are supposed to do for each other.

Ok, we've made the title just say "Firm".

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