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FBI, CIA, and NSA: Don't Use Huawei Phones (cnbc.com)
The heads of six top U.S. intelligence agencies told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday they would not advise Americans to use products or services from Chinese smartphone maker Huawei. "The six -- including the heads of the CIA, FBI, NSA and the director of national intelligence -- first expressed their distrust of Apple-rival Huawei and fellow Chinese telecom company ZTE in reference to public servants and state agencies," reports CNBC. From the report: "We're deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don't share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks," FBI Director Chris Wray testified. "That provides the capacity to exert pressure or control over our telecommunications infrastructure," Wray said. "It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage."
In a response, Huawei said that it "poses no greater cybersecurity risk than any ICT vendor." A spokesman said in a statement: "Huawei is aware of a range of U.S. government activities seemingly aimed at inhibiting Huawei's business in the U.S. market. Huawei is trusted by governments and customers in 170 countries worldwide and poses no greater cybersecurity risk than any ICT vendor, sharing as we do common global supply chains and production capabilities."
In a response, Huawei said that it "poses no greater cybersecurity risk than any ICT vendor." A spokesman said in a statement: "Huawei is aware of a range of U.S. government activities seemingly aimed at inhibiting Huawei's business in the U.S. market. Huawei is trusted by governments and customers in 170 countries worldwide and poses no greater cybersecurity risk than any ICT vendor, sharing as we do common global supply chains and production capabilities."
Apple phones are still manufactured by a Chinese company. For that matter, how are these one line of Huawei phones different from literally every other phone manufactured in China to be sold worldwide, including in the US?
What is special about this particular line of phones that they're not telling us?
This is the most plausible explanation I have seen to the argument.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
As AC posted above perhaps they refuse to allow a back door into the system. Everyone remembers when India threatened BlackBerry with banishment if they weren't allowed access.
It's funny how everybody points to BlackBerry giving in to the pressure from India while completely ignoring the fact they were the ONLY company that publicly refused to give access in the first place.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
Wrong!
China swallowed some DoD traffic:
https://arstechnica.com/inform...
And Russia went after Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and financial institutions:
https://arstechnica.com/inform...
AC because of moderation
Let's take it as a given that Huawei does indeed have spyware/tracking hooks in their phones right down to the hardware level. Let's also take it as a given that the NSA, therefore, doesn't have hooks into those phones. What does that mean for us?
Will Chinese authorities arrest someone in US, UK, or Canada if they find out someone here is doing a Google search for Al Qaeda on a Huawei phone? Unlikely. WIll they turn over GPS tracking of me to law enforcement?
If I take it as a given that someone will be watching everything I do on my phone, I can't think of anyone I would rather have watching than a government that is antagonistic to the NSA.
I know what my next handset will be.
Honestly, the Chinese government has no power or authority over me, so if that government took my data I'd mind a whole lot less than if it was my own government.
So you won't mind if (chinese) hackers get your financial data and empty your bank account or charge up your cards?
You don't mind if they get personal data and sell it off at a price to whoever wants it?
You don't mind if they use it to perform corporate espionage, if you have work data on your device?
If it was a US corporation doing something illegal, you'd have legal recourse (at least in theory). Here you do not.
I think you need to think about that one a little harder.