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Chinese Media Calls For Boycott of Cisco

An anonymous reader writes "China's state-run media is calling on the country's wireless carriers to move away from Cisco products. According to reports, using Cisco products allows the U.S. to 'attack China almost at will,' and forms a 'terrible security threat.' Chinese officials are urging the companies' wireless carriers to switch to hardware made by Huawei and ZTE Corp. Citing cybersecurity concerns, the United States has banned the use of equipment from both Huawei and ZTE in its cellular networks. Cisco has not yet been named in documents describing the NSA's global wiretapping operations. Apple, a company named in leaked documents, has slashed iPhone production for the second half of this year on falling overseas sales."

7 of 216 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Thank Edward Snowden by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Actually, this is just the pot calling one of the many kettles black. Huawei and ZTE allow this type of "access" as well, but it's just on behalf of the Chinese government rather than the US government.

  2. Re:Thank Edward Snowden by interkin3tic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you're being sarcastic, you're deluded. China improving it's defenses, even against the US is not your loss, and the US successfully spying on the Chinese is not necessarily to your benefit. It's only a problem for you if it becomes one-sided, which will take a lot more than Snowden's actions. Meanwhile, Snowden has brought to light the US government shitting on it's own constitution.

    If that is a sincere thanks to Snowden, I agree.

  3. Re:Excellent initiative ! by postbigbang · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So the boycott surrounding Huawei is ok then? Who fired the first shot?

    Cisco either stands on its own, or doesn't. If Cisco can't prove that it's not sending backdoor info to the NSA, then is China justified in its concern? Let the Chinese boycott whomever they want. There is no right to sell something anywhere. There is value or there is not.

    The war with hackers has been going on for a decade. We do stuff (from the USA) and they do stuff (from mainland China). You're surprised?

    --
    ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
  4. Protectionism by Somebody+Is+Using+My · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You know, China, I have no issue with a sovereign nation looking to its own industry to provide the technologies it needs to defend itself from threats, whether they are of an analog or digital nature. You shouldn't depend on foreign suppliers for your defense, not only because they may be somehow compromised with unknown backdoors, but also because you have no control of the supply. So sure, drop Cisco; it's probably for the best.

    But if you are considering Huawei switches and routers to provide you any sort of security, you may wish to rethink that particular course of action. The NSA doesn't /need/ to install backdoors when the software is vulnerable by default.

    Cisco hardware may be compromised with backdoors, but at least they are /competently/ compromised...

  5. Re:Excellent initiative ! by durrr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's not a capital offense to critique the government in china. Though sure, you might get locked away and all that stuff.

    But at least they are openly authoritarian. Unlike the US where you are supposed to have all these right but in the end you can still be locked away and all that stuff for arbirary reasons. Or bombed by drones, or assassinated by the CIA.

    When it comes to replicating that authentic 1984 feeling, the US is far in lead with the twisting of language and concepts and covertly doing the opposite of what is stated. Lets see.

    Perpetual warfare: check
    Removing your rights in the name of preserving them in doublespeak fashion: check
    Doing its best to achive universal surveillance: check
    Demonizing the enemies while presenting self as bastion of glorious freedom and prosperity, while false flagging, assassinating and shitting everything up: check
    And so on.

  6. Is NSA snooping hurting the US software industry? by m00sh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Before facebook was seen as the fuel for the social revolutions, twitter the next media platform but now because of all the NSA snooping revelation, it has made all our software companies look like snitches.

    Furthermore, it was a lone whistle blower rather than the powerhouse companies that fought against this, it has the made the software companies look placid and complaint to questionable data gathering.

    XBox One unveiling response was that it looked like a perfect spying machine not a gaming machine, new cellphones or OSes will be thought to be full of back doors and websites to be perceived to be constantly monitoring data and handing them over to the authorities.

    This might drive customers away from US software industry products.

  7. Re:Excellent initiative ! by Jmc23 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    It's stupidity like yours which defines the US. Always US and THEM.

    One day, hopefully before it's too late, you dimwits will realize there's this other option called WE. We are all humans. Once you get used to the fact that killing/supressing/enslaving/opressing others to support an unsustainable lifestyle is unsustainable, maybe we can make real inroads into sustainability and cooperation.

    --
    Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.