I understand all of that, but still am willing to be in the Stallman or tinfoil-hat conspiracy nut camp just to be safe. I'm too old to be actively trying to figure out whom to trust, and whom not, especially since there are so many actors involved. So it's best to distrust everyone.

We can have a discussion about which life jacket brand is the most reliable, and what advanced underwater-breathing technique we could practice, or the hundreds of ways to save ourselves from drowning. But the only way to be absolutely certain is not to get into water in the first place.