You're assuming that the government is hyper-competent. I'm not so sure. There are an awful lot of cooks in that kitchen, so to speak. Eventually, it'd leak that they're purposely sabotaging open-source projects. Not that that possibility might stop them from trying, but it'd certainly hamper recruiting efforts considering the people best able to do the sabotage are the ones likely to be contributing to the projects in the first place. And even if they can start forcing tech companies to take actions that hamper their own security, the best cooperation they can hope for would be a grudging one at best. It'd be like getting involved in a land war in Asia.
Look at the fight against child pornography. Tech companies dedicate a lot of resources to fighting child pornography and working with the FBI to help prosecute offenders and NCMEC to help identify the children being exploited. Even with the active and enthusiastic support of the tech community, it's an uphill battle. How much more difficult would that fight be without that support?
Point being, if governments can't make child pornography--something everyone is against--go away, how likely is it that they'll be able to make a dent against encryption?
"Child pornography". Any pornographic depiction of a person deemed 17 years old is child pornography. It needs not be a photo, it could be a drawing. If the origin of the picture is unknown, I assume any picture of a young-looking 25 years old person could be assumed child pornography during an investigation. As horrible as actual unconsented pornography is, which I frankly condemn, I still take it with a grain of salt when I'm told "This CEO has child pornography on his computer".
Look at the fight against child pornography. Tech companies dedicate a lot of resources to fighting child pornography and working with the FBI to help prosecute offenders and NCMEC to help identify the children being exploited. Even with the active and enthusiastic support of the tech community, it's an uphill battle. How much more difficult would that fight be without that support?
Point being, if governments can't make child pornography--something everyone is against--go away, how likely is it that they'll be able to make a dent against encryption?