Project Zero is a Google initiative that tries to make sense of online security and find serious flaws and exploits in the products we use every day. They folks behind the wheel do an excellent job at this difficult task and have worked with the companies that make our phones and televisions and thermostats and anything else to keep us a little bit safer from online threats. But it's also a group that shouldn't be working under the Google umbrella.
We don't need to know details to know that something looks fishy.
This is plain to see when we dissect the most recent posting from the group about a security issue — which was patched and no longer a worry — that allowed malware creators to spy on iOS users just by visiting a website. At least that's what the public announcement said, anyway. Turns out that other operating systems, including Android, were vulnerable, too, and that the websites in question were mostly China-based. Naturally, everyone started calling for blood and was sure that Project Zero was only trying to cover for Android because of the whole Google affiliation.
More: Why the latest iPhone hack should worry you no matter what phone you use
That's probably not the case this time, though it's easy to make that leap. What we aren't privy to is the entire discovery timeline and the agreement about disclosure between Project Zero and other smartphone vendors. I'll leave off the bit about China also being part of the world with real people who use phones that are every bit as important as their western counterparts and blame overzealousness as the reason that this being China-based was a problem. In any case, none of this matters because what we do know and what we did see makes it look like Project Zero was covering the Android ecosystem, and therefore for Google. And that sucks.
Project Zero would be just as effective on its own (with lots of money from "big tech").
Now I'm not a corporate executive and I'm not pretending to be; armchair CEO-ing sucks no matter who tries to do it. But even I can see an easy fix for this problem (and it will happen again): move Project Zero out of Google and set it up as an independent group funded by more than one company.
We need Project Zero because most people smart enough to do what it does have a full-time career keeping other companies safe and secured. But we don't need the sideshow that any sense of impropriety creates. An independent group funded by Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft and the rest of the names behind the products we buy would be just as capable and less suspect to falsifying results or being accused of it.

Android Central's Best of CES 2021
Android Central presents its list of favorites from this year's CES 2021! From real products to concepts, these are some of our favorite devices that we thought deserved a shout out for their innovation.

An $800 Galaxy S21 is impressive — except in a world with the S20 FE
Samsung's new Galaxy S21 offers a ton of specs and features for just $800, but in a world where we still have the Galaxy S20 FE, does it even really matter?

Google Pixel 5: Everything you need to know before buying
It's here. The Google Pixel 5. From the specs, pricing, release date, and more, here's literally everything you need to know!

These are the best heavy duty cases for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
If you're in the market for a new case for your Samsung Galaxy S21+, you might as well get the most durable one you can get. Here are our favorite heavy-duty cases to keep your phone looking good for years to come.