decided to examine my motherboard and OH SHIT! 🙀 
i'm panicking right now, going to look at all my other computers 😭😧
SHIT, found another one, pic in a sec. 😱
i'm so scared right now, they've had this implant in here for a long time. how far back does this go at Apple? 😭
context: bloomberg.com/news/features/…
now that i have your attention, i wanted to make a point. 1/
the "device" in the BW article is a directional coupler. these are used in cellphones, but not in server motherboards. ever. what are often used are EMI filter components which look similar, but you'll only find them next to connectors. 2/
BW wanted some visuals to go with the article so they had someone take random photos of random electrical devices, not the alleged implant, which they don't have, and likely doesn't exist. 3/
there are much easier ways to put in an implant, like a regular microcontroller. the logistics are exactly the same, but you don't have to develop some crazy packaging scheme to fit an MCU inside a custom package designed to look like a component that's never inside a server. 4/
you could even order them with custom top marks to make them look like a reset chip, level shifter, or whatever. or you could simply pay a visit to the programming house that programs the flash chip, and give them a "firmware upgrade." no gerber modifications needed. 5/
if BW got this detail so ridiculously wrong, why should i believe the rest of the article? 6/6
