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US Government Fears China Bugs Lenovo PCs

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the gosh-we-didn't-think-of-that dept.

An anonymous reader writes "After approving the sale of IBM's PC Division to the Chinese Corporation Lenovo, the US Government has realized China could bug Lenovo PCs destined for US Government customers. Would the US have done the same to China? With American businesses so eager for business in China no matter what, where are we headed?"

7 of 348 comments (clear)

  1. Yes by Samir+Gupta · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The USA did it to China indeed.

    --
    -- Samir Gupta, Ph. D. Head, New Technology Research Group, Nintendo Co. Ltd., Kyoto, Japan.
  2. Re:You better believe they'd do it ... by strider44 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think that bugging everything that is used by a foreign government (even allied governments) is bugged and that's just something that happens, almost as if it's expected. The following is from a friend of a friend of a family member so expect it to be exaggerated or possibly wrong (though I don't think it is), but apparently every piece of military hardware imported from America here to Australia is striped and taken apart and thoroughly checked for tracking devices and bugs, and they're routinely found. This is one of the closest allies in the "War on Terror".

  3. US citizens fears gov bugs internet by pubjames · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Today, Wired published the full evidence of the AT&T/NSA domestic surveillance program. It is fascinating reading:

    http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70944-0.htm l

  4. We have a saying... by Serious+Simon · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In the Netherlands we have a saying that can be translated into English as "The way the innkeeper is himself, he suspects his guests"...

  5. US bugs Chinese "Airforce 1" Okay?! by didiken · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Funny that US has bugged a Boeing 767 purchased from the US for use by former President Jiang Zemin.

    Didn't hear the Chinese stop buying jumbo jets.

  6. Re:So how does this supposed bugging scam work? by acaspis · · Score: 2, Interesting
    How many amateurs and computer engineers are there around the world picking their computers apart?

    Yeah, how many pick the ethernet chip apart, transistor by transistor ?

    Plus, note that a backdoor does not necessarily result in observable information flow. If I wanted to bug a PC, I'd patch its hardware random number generator.

    AC

  7. Let's just hope total war is obsolete by Enrique1218 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I really don't how a services economy is going to mobilize for the next big war. How many financial analysts does it take to build F22? How many systems administrator does it take to build a submarine? I am going to mention the lower class who are alcoholic, drug-addicted, or just plain disillioned as their jobs are ship over seas or given to illegal immigrants. I am sure we can round up all the prostitutes, strippers, and drug addicts and train them to build a tank. Computer components are vital part our warfighting ability and exactly how much of that is manufacture in the continental US? I guess we are assuming that in a war with China, we can always have them make our weapons for us so we can in turn drop on them. Seems logical and we don't have top pay for shipping. Spying is the least of our problems. China hasn't asserted itself so far because it still needs to grow some but what about 20 years from now? We can always hope China evolves into a pluralistic democracy but then again we are one and we still invaded Iraq.

    --
    You don't have to be smart to use a Mac, you just have to be smart enough to buy one