If the original Freedom product is:
a. as unbreakable/untraceable as was originally planned (verdict is out, IMO)
and
b. is continued to be supported and distributed
then why would the new "trusted third parties" system be needed?
Risking to fall into the doomsayer trap, I would call this a classical "bait switch" technique. Bait was a genuine product, probably developed by the genuine company and people. Switch happened later, when men with guns decided to pick up this thing. But what really pisses me off is that seemengly intelligent people keep on ranting about their intentions. Who the fuck cares what the intentions are/were ? Establishing trust with the crypto-savvy is what ZKS did. That asset is owned by whoever owns the company, not by hired hands. And the use of that asset will be whatever they decide. Creating such an asset brings responsibility, and ZKS folks failed there: their work will be used for other purposes, and there is nothing they can do about it. Assuming that one can make money by providing protection from the people that print that money is just plain silly.