This isn't an issue of "open" vs "closed" (Score 3, Interesting)

The algorithm they used is patented and very much open for criticism. It would need to be fore NSA to choose it. Think of it like RSA where the algorithm was patented as well (many open source applications use RSA now, since the license has expired).

Dr. Scott A. Vanstone is a professor at University of Waterloo, so it is kind of neat to see one of my profs in the news (I knew about the company, but they haven't had much going for them for a while). He teaches Coding Theory (CO 331) and is the Executive Director of Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research