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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."

9 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. It smells more and more of protectionism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They are simply bypassing adding a barrier of entry which would be illegal by pretending they are a security risk. That could backfire a lot though, because so far only the US was caught with the hand in the malware cookie jar, and massively intercepting comms. That could turn around and bite the US in the ass, why trust anything including new computer plateform when it is spied upon NSA, subpoenaed even if server are not physically in the US, and most probably bugged to hell by the NSA ? Huawei was never caught red handed. The US and NSA was. By using this tactic , the US may remind OTHER countries who was the one governement which was caught doing what they pretend Huawei is doing....

  2. Translation: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We've begged this company to allow backdoors in their products and they have refused, so please don't use their products, m'kay!

    1. Re:Translation: by Excelcia · · Score: 5, Interesting

      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.

    2. Re:Translation: by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The scary thing is, we have all the evidence we need that they (The US Government) can spy on anyone they want. And they lie about it. And nothing happens when they do lie about it. Why anyone trusts anything they say is beyond me.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  3. Er, what are these "values"? by Archtech · · Score: 5, Insightful

    '"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'.

    I wonder if Mr Wray would care to state exactly what "our values" are. I suspect the reason why politicians (and make no mistake, the FBI Director is a politician first, last and foremost) never list "our values" is either because they have forgotten what they are supposed to be, or because they are afraid listeners would burst out laughing.

    Democracy? The USA was never meant to be a democracy - quite the contrary - and it is now definitely a plutocracy.
    Freedom? That depends, doesn't it - whose freedom to do what to whom?
    Freedom of speech? "It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them". - Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar, Ch. XX
    Freedom of assembly? Not anywhere near where any politicians are having a meeting, or anywhere the armed forces say you can't go.
    A free market? Everything is rigged, starting with interest rates and including the stock and bond markets.

    I could go on but I don't want to bore anyone.

    --
    I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
  4. Unfair competition? by NuclearCat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    *sniff sniff*, smells like bullshit.
    Isn't such agencies should come up with solid proof first, before accusing anyone? Or they became oligarch/multinationals mercenary - like law enforcement agencies in Putin Russia?
    What if China cut, in retaliation, and in their traditions - much more harsh way, Apple? 1/4-1/3 of profit gone? (and other countries might enjoy following trend)

  5. Re:Apple (Focxonn) okay? by AK+Marc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    US officially operates under a One China policy, where Beijing is recognized, but Taiwan isn't. And China considers Taiwan to be an autonomous region, like Hong Kong and Macau. And Foxconn is operating in China, so are subject to the laws and practices of China. One should assume that Foxconn is a Chinese company.

    Though, I have no idea why Huawei is targeted. They have no official ties to the China government, and, unlike Cisco, have never put in a backdoor for government control. I'd be much more worried about American companies. The government has requested backdoors publicly, and privately, and there have been some confirmed and found. It does not matter that they are intended for US operatives only, once they are in, they can be compromised by others.

    I guess it's just plain racism. China bad. America good.

  6. Re:Apple (Focxonn) okay? by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Though, I have no idea why Huawei is targeted. They have no official ties to the China government, and, unlike Cisco, have never put in a backdoor for government control.

    Ding ding ding. The NSA wants a back door that they control in every phone.

  7. Re: Apple (Focxonn) okay? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Did you just wake up from a coma?

    https://www.infoworld.com/article/2608141/internet-privacy/snowden--the-nsa-planted-backdoors-in-cisco-products.html
    https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/05/photos-of-an-nsa-upgrade-factory-show-cisco-router-getting-implant/
    https://www.wired.com/2013/09/nsa-router-hacking/