Or not: http://mashable.com/2013/09/19/linus-torvalds-backdoor-linux/ | "Oh, Christ. It was obviously a joke, no government agency has ever asked me for a backdoor in Linux," Torvalds told Mashable via email. "Really. Cross my heart and hope to die, really."
HA! Also hilarious was their assumption he told them that he couldn't even if he wanted to, when in reality Linus probably told them they could take their backdoor, and the backdoors of their houses for that matter, and shove them up their asses, then rubbed his middle finger in their faces for a solid minute.When my oldest son [Linus Torvalds] was asked the same question: “Has he been approached by the NSA about backdoors?” he said “No”, but at the same time he nodded.
What was the NSA thinking? How did they expect for this to go over? You can't anonymously place backdoors in an open source program. Linux's source code is reviewed by so many independent benefactors that it would be noticed soon after the update.
Despite the obvious technology knowledge failures there, who in the right mind in the NSA thought ANYONE involved in Linux projects would allow that to happen? We're here purely because we're passionate about ensuring a world of tech that makes that impossible. I know people involved in various forms with the NSA, they aren't idiots, so clearly someone is an idiot higher up who forced their hand.