> I wonder if this kind of thing will set a precedent.
Erm... it's a traditional business model of security firms on the internets...
> If a security firm can "extort" google, what stops a lone hacker to put up a video of a chrome exploit on youtube and demand some arbitrary amount of money as compensation?
They're not extorting anything. They're not menacing google or anything like that, they have not obtained this information illegally, they've done security research and are releasing their findings to their clients because that's how they make their money. That's it.
Erm... it's a traditional business model of security firms on the internets...
> If a security firm can "extort" google, what stops a lone hacker to put up a video of a chrome exploit on youtube and demand some arbitrary amount of money as compensation?
They're not extorting anything. They're not menacing google or anything like that, they have not obtained this information illegally, they've done security research and are releasing their findings to their clients because that's how they make their money. That's it.