If the government could force them to extract keys from clients, to utilize compromise keys, or build a mechanism into a silent update, what makes you think and other company would have a different choice? Wouldn't such a government pose the same threat to any email provider?
> what makes you think and other company would have a different choice?
A company that operates in a country where the government is legally forbidden from doing such things would be more resilient to attack through the judicial or law enforcement system. Granted, there's always the suspicion that surveillance maybe be conducted extra-judicially, but it's still better. I don't know of any such countries. I think the Apple v. FBI case was going to set precedence in this matter, but that never went to trial.
