We can't trust manufacturers not to build keyboards with undetectable hardware keyloggers now and in the future because the NSA has plenty of money. I say this idea isn't new to them at all and I hope that people in the future will keep taking the different models apart to hack around.
Keyloggers inside everyone's keyboard could be useful to the NSA and FBI who could pay companies to bake them in. When you're suspected of a serious crime for example or you get into serious trouble, you could get your storage devices taken away. Encrypted or not, your keyboard could then reveal passwords if it's the correct model. This even breaks forward secrecy. These tiny computers inside keyboards meant to control light flashing, sound, card reading, and more could possibly also control which keys to record and what to throw away based on repetition... if the keylogger's space is limited. Keylogger functionality can be massive, they can use compression or run through the text file it generated over the years, keep one copy of repeated phrases, and throw away the rest. An attacker could possibly talk to your keyboard through your computer if it runs systemd or Windows assuming the interface to the keylogger can be that convenient.
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[–] carlinco 0 points 7 points 7 points (+7|-0) ago
TBH, true security would only be possible if people started producing their own computers (and equipment to make them). Kind of like open source software, but with advanced 3d-printing.
But even then, it would not be difficult to fool someone by replacing an item with one that looks exactly the same, or by injecting something into the blueprints which would be hard to find (see how often this happens even to open source software under public scrutiny).
As it is, be vigilant, punish companies that get caught breaching your privacy by purchasing somewhere else, and take apart the stuff you quit using to find out at least after the fact if anyone is onto your secret stash of bitcoins...