Posted on 03/30/2006 9:33:57 AM PST by Salo
The USCC launched a probe against Lenovo, but many wonder if the accusations are warranted
The United States government is planning to spend roughly $13M USD on computers from Lenovo. The company, famous for buying up IBM's PC manufacturing arm, is working on a deal with the US government to produce roughly 16,000 computers. Just recently, the U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission (USCC) has requested that Lenovo be probed for any concerns about possible spying, eavesdropping or worse.
The supposed problem presented by the USCC is that the 16,000 computers are being built by a Chinese-mainland company. The USCC argues that a foreign intelligence like that of the Communist Party of China (CPC) can use its power to get Lenovo to equip its machines with espionage devices. Lenovo has strongly declined that it is involved in any such activities.
Many analysts would call these probes are excessive and knee-jerk. When manufactured under IBM, almost all Lenovo PCs were built in the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) to some degree or another anyway. Of the top 10 system builders in the US, eight have some component manufacture attributed specifically to ECS-Tatung, at Taiwanese corporation that only assembles exclusively in the PRC. Of the other two not represented by ECS-Tatung, Dell and Apple, Dell has a strong reliance on ASUStek -- another company that builds exclusively in the PRC.
Despite the probe, Lenovo says that its international business, especially those that deal with the US, follow strictly laid out government regulations and rules. Lenovo also claims that even after purchasing IBM's PC division, its international business has not been affected negatively. Interestingly, in an interview with the BBC, Lenovo mentioned that an open investigation or probe may negatively affect the way that the company deals with future government contracts or bids. The Lenovo representative did not explain details on exactly what negative implications would occur if there were future investigations. The 16,000 PCs to be built for the US government are actually assembled outside of China in Mexico, Taiwan and Raleigh -- an oddity in the PC manufacturing business.
A top tier motherboard manufacturer spokesman spoke to us off the record claiming the Lenovo probe has "foreboding" implications. If US companies are intimidated by probes of the USCC, such probes could be easily applied to virtually every PC manufacturer in the US: Intel motherboards are built by Taiwanese Hon Hai Precision Industries from facilities in Shenzhen; Acer components are built by component manufacturers in Shanghai; Dell PCs are assembled in factories in Suzhou and Shanghai. The same spokesperson went on to say "We [Taiwanese manufactures] do more work in China than we do anywhere else in the world. I don't even want to think about what would happen to our US clients if we got a USCC probe."
CDW Government, the company originally contracted to fill the orders for the US government also carries several brands that are assembled in the PRC including Acer, BenQ, D-Link, HP, Sharp and Toshiba.
Pings.
Concern over "espionage devices" hidden in workstations sounds like something from prisonplanet.com.
Computer can do anything, connected to Internet, it is open to remote control and "data collection" - not a technical problem, just somebody wanting to do it. With the amount of circuitry crammed onto the chips, it would be surprise that it is not done.
Chinese at your computer control, Putin at the gas valve, suicider muSlimes roaming around, RATs crippling the US - long live "free" world.
Vote the bastRATs out into oblivion!!!
China is well known for spying on the US, anyone who doesn't think they won't use most every opportunity presented to them is a fool.
Of course I was strongly opposed to allowing the Chicom government to purchase the IBM PC division, and American icon, when it was originally announced by IBM.
If we start blocking shipments of those PC's into the US now, will help to make up for it. More business for US businesses like HP and Dell, which they could use when fighting against an opponent who has unlimited resources that can be moved over from other Chicom-owned business fronts.
If we start blocking shipments of those PC's into the US now, will help to make up for it. More business for US businesses like HP and Dell, which they could use when fighting against an opponent who has unlimited resources that can be moved over from other Chicom-owned business fronts.
The same HP and Dell that buy their laptops from China?
You must have skimmed:
Of the other two not represented by ECS-Tatung, Dell and Apple, Dell has a strong reliance on ASUStek -- another company that builds exclusively in the PRC.
CDW Government, the company originally contracted to fill the orders for the US government also carries several brands that are assembled in the PRC including Acer, BenQ, D-Link, HP, Sharp and Toshiba.
So you'd rather have HP's, assembled in China, than Lenovos, assembled in the United States?
Any number of instructions can be easily burned into ROM at the time of manufacture. Even instructions that give a backdoor to the manufacturer to access the computer over a network.
Who manufactures the ROM?
IBM.
Don't you mean Taiwan?
FYI: PRC = ChiComs. As near as I can tell, even the Tiawanese companies outsource to ChiComs. It looks like Apple might be the only exception, and I'd be willing to bet their components ship with fortune cookies, too.
Fine, whatever. You somehow missed my point about this possibly being a watershed moment that leads to the US government to require all their computers be manufactured in the US. All they'd have to do is require it, and plenty of offers would start rolling in.
But if you're not going to block the Chinese government from building the US government systems overseas, you're obviously not going to ever block Dell.
This needs to be a precident, with more to follow on security grounds.
And which offshore company makes them for IBM?
IBM makes all the chips it uses, and is the outsourcer for other manufacturers.
IBM openly admits if not outright brags most of their employees work outside the US, so coming "from IBM" is hardly reassuring.
IBM is still the largest manufacturer of computer hardware in the world, so there must be one or two folks out there who are reassured.
This knee-jerk hysteria post Dubai ought to be embarrassing to the government, and to those who are infected with it at FR, but apparently it's not.
This knee-jerk hysteria post Dubai ought to be embarrassing to the government, and to those who are infected with it at FR, but apparently it's not.
National Security should never be outsourced, those that think it should are equal if not worse than Bill Clinton's commerce department.
Computer manufacturing is not national security.
No, they hire contract manufacturers just like everybody else.
For instance, IBM is no longer considered a manufacturer; they consider themselves a service provider.
--Jack Healy, Director, Manufacturing Advancement Center
For the trillionth time, DHS provides security at ports. The fallout from stabbing UAE in the back over the ports will be trickling out for some time. Qatar just put on hold a huge 787 order from Boeing, saying they were taking another look at Airbus.
Idiots like Duncan Hunter and IRA-loving Peter King don't deserve to re-elected after their shameful grandstanding during the Dubai deal.
That is not true. IBM makes all the chips it uses.
For instance, IBM is no longer considered a manufacturer; they consider themselves a service provider.
That's because IBM derives more revenue from its Global Services group than from manufacturing. But it still manufactures all its Z and I series main and mid frames, and still rolls out raised-floor printers and specialized hardware (point-of-sale systems).
No worries, the ChiComms are your friends! (PUKE)
Yasu, Japan, Altis Semiconductor Corbeil-Essonnes France, Chartered, Singapore.
IBM does license its technology, but it only uses chips that it makes in its hardware.
See #33 re: licensing technology.
Who made the chips in your computer?
A friend of mine near San Jose.
Sounds like you have the one computer around that has no parts made in China.
It is when those computers end up in the state department. DUH.
Why even risk it? So the Chicom goverment can make a profit?
So that puts you firmly in that 18 percent of Americans that wanted it to go through. No wonder you lost so quickly and decisively.
Ah, so now we're supposed to go along with the public mood. Especially when it agrees with you.
The only reason the Dubai deal was killed was because Chuck Schumer shamelessly demagogued it, and Peter King and Duncan Hunter fed the "evil untrustworthy Arab" stereotype fostered by such psychopaths as Michael Savage.
We look like fools, and, frankly, we are fools for stiffing a country that has been a valuable partner in the war on terror.
It is when those computers end up in the state department. DUH.
Believe whatever you want. I was opposed to the deal and never heard any of those people speak a single word about it. We look like fools, and, frankly, we are fools for stiffing a country that has been a valuable partner in the war on terror.
We look like fools for running gigantic budget deficits and trade deficits, especially when the biggest is to a brutal totalitarian regime.
So let's let the Chicom government be the one we buy our own government computers from? Obviously absurd.
What American company makes computers from American components?
Israel does it too and they're supposed to be an ally. So what? Everybody spies on everybody.
You're still aruging our government should buy our computers direct from the Chicoms instead of US based businesses? Are you ever going to give us a single reason why?
My you people are spineless.
You're still aruging our government should buy our computers direct from the Chicoms instead of US based businesses? Are you ever going to give us a single reason why?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.