Best Buy Stops Selling Huawei Smartphones (cnet.com)

Best Buy, the nation's largest electronics big box retailer, has ceased ordering new smartphones from Huawei and will stop selling its products over the next few weeks. Best Buy didn't provide any details as to why it has severed ties with Huawei, but it may have to do with security concerns involving the Chinese government. CNET reports: The move is a critical blow to Huawei, which is the world's third-largest smartphone vendor behind Apple and Samsung but has struggled to establish any presence in the U.S. Best Buy was one of Huawei's biggest retail partners, and one of the rare places where you could physically see its phones. Huawei phones aren't sold by any U.S. carriers, where a majority of Americans typically buy their phones. Security concerns have long dogged Huawei in the U.S. In 2012, the House Intelligence Committee released a report accusing Huawei and fellow Chinese vendor ZTE of making telecommunications equipment that posed national security threats, and banned U.S. companies from buying the gear. At the time, the committee stressed that the report didn't refer to its smartphones. But that's changed over the last several months. The directors of the FBI, CIA and NSA all expressed their concerns about the risks posed by Huawei and ZTE.

Comments

Re:They should

[ShanghaiBill]

They should stop selling all phones because they all are made in China or have Chinese parts

Or perhaps instead of "expressing concerns" the FBI, CIA, and NSA should be asked to provide some actual evidence.

Re: They should

[theshowmecanuck]

Or maybe people should exhibit common sense. I don't trust any of the TLA agencies, but I trust the Chinese government a whole lot less. And Emperor Xi owns and controls Huawei, and everything else there.

Re: They should

[ShanghaiBill]

These 3 agencies have a combined budget of over $60B. When expressing their opinion on a cellphone, they should be able to offer something more than just gut feelings.

For me it is the opposite.

[Anonymous Coward]

A foreign country has a whole lot less power over me than an agency in "my" own country!

In China, I'd buy an NSA phone (Aka Google/Apple/MS/etc,incliding Japanese/EU brands),

But in the US I sure as hell will buy a Chinese phone. Or a Russian one.

Always preferably not via mail order, but by traveling there.

To buy a US phone in the US, or Chinese phone in China requires the worst kind of anticonspiracy theorist / blackeyed syndrome.

Interestingly, I learned this strategy from the NSA itself (thanks Snowden!): When two enemies quarrel, rejoice!
(The German faity tale The Valiant Little Tailor teaches how to get two giants to fight, to win against them both.)

Re:For me it is the opposite.

[rtb61]

Reality is, they pretty much snag you on the first personalised update and if you cross borders and allow them to take your phone from your sight, you can pretty much guarantee it comes back with added software that you would need to root the phone to get out. On you very first update out of the US, they will hack you unless, it is an anonymous update. You can always fight back by adding fantasy into your digital life, they want to bullshit you, remember to bullshit the internet back.

Re:For me it is the opposite.

[Gojira Shipi-Taro]

I'm not so much concerned about snooping as I am having my device potentially used as a tool in an enemy power's cyber warfare campaign against my own nation.

Re:For me it is the opposite.

[hazardPPP]

I'm not so much concerned about snooping as I am having my device potentially used as a tool in an enemy power's cyber warfare campaign against my own nation.

OK. That's a legitimate stance. However, think about it more deeply.

What does China care about the most? It's own economic development. How does it achieve that development? By exporting tons of stuff all over the planet.

Now think what would happen if China were to all of a sudden cyber-weaponize every smartphone in a country...and cause some serious damage - it doesn't have to be the US, it can be a small country, say Denmark or Singapore. What would be the result? Everyone (and not just in the affected country, but pretty much everywhere) would ditch their Chinese-made smartphones, never buy them again, and probably start dumping all of their Chinese-made electronics...this would be a disaster - for China primarily. How likely then is China to do such a thing? Highly unlikely.

So, would you want Chinese-made telecom equipment in CIA headquarters or the White House? Surely not. Do you want CEOs of large American companies using Chinese phones for confidential conversations? Probably not. Does it however matter if the average Jane or Joe on the street is using them? It doesn't.

Sure China might've installed a backdoor in every smartphone that could potentially wreak planetary havoc. However if they ever get around to using it, that would mean that the world situation is so bad that you would have a lot of other things to worry about before thinking of your smartphone.

Re: They should

[pablo_max]

but I trust the Chinese government a whole lot less.

Why? What is your opinion based on? You don't live in China. Do you think the Chinese government really cares what you are doing?
Consider, in China, the Government controls just about everything, but, they don't pretend otherwise. The people in China know they are watching and they also know that unless you are plotting against the Government or doing illegal stuff that they don't really give a shit.
In the US, they do the same exact stuff, but just lie about it and tell everyone they are not doing that, all the while they are condemning China for doing it.
The US government is just as shitty as China's, but at least in China, they don't try and pretend they are not fucking you.

Always an enemy

[pablo_max]

It is really shocking how badly Americans always need an enemy to fight. Even when there is no enemy, one will be created or invented.

Re:Oppo/OnePlus also banned list

[CrashNBrn]

BBK Electronics
Markets smartphones under the Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus brands.

Unlike Oppo and Vivo, OnePlus is sold in most markets and was found to have preloaded spyware on numerous occasions.

no enemy ?

[gDLL]

When was there ever no enemy ? Ever ?


What's that now? The world is a good place and unicorns fart rainbows ?

Re: They should

[Kjella]

The people in China know they are watching and they also know that unless you are plotting against the Government or doing illegal stuff that they don't really give a shit.

For values of "plotting against the Government" that amount to "establishing any kind of movement or organization that is threatening their undisputed power or rallies protests or tries to promote change", sure. You don't need to dress up as Guy Fawkes and try blowing up parliament to be "plotting", you won't be seeing any hippies protesting on the White House lawn in China. You won't be seeing the Falun Gong or protest signs saying "Free Tibet" or "Remember Tiananmen Square", if you're critical of the government in any way you're silenced. The US may be just as bad as China when it comes to spying, but they're cracking down much harder on dissent.

Re: They should

[cascadingstylesheet]

The US government is just as shitty as China's,.

Um, no, it's actually, very objectively not.

For just one blindingly obvious example, you can trash Trump 24/7 and not go to jail. Try that in China.

Re: They should

[Zontar_Thing_From_Ve]

For just one blindingly obvious example, you can trash Trump 24/7 and not go to jail. Try that in China.

I've been to China several times and I'm pretty sure you could trash Trump 24x7 over there and not go to jail.