US State Department pulls China-made PCs from secure networks

Yahoo News ^ | Fri May 19, 8:45 AM ET | Jitendra Joshi/AFP

[Golden Eagle]

The US State Department has backed down on a controversial decision to install computers made by Chinese company Lenovo on its classified networks, officials said.

But the department's purchase of about 16,000 personal computers (PCs) from Lenovo raises serious questions given accusations that China is aggressively spying on the United States, Republican lawmaker Frank Wolf said.

[Golden Eagle]

Well at least we've partially come to our senses.

[EEDUDE]

I completely agree.

But they are still selling us processors and other semiconductors made in China that we are using in our weapons systems!

Back whenI was doing weapons electronics design we COULD NOT under any circumstances use offshore parts.

[Golden Eagle]

Yeah it's ridiculous, the US government has taken their "cheapest bidder" approval process to include items coming from the Chicomm government. As if they Chinese aren't selling those products at a loss just to get access into to our programs.

[petro45acp]

Come to our senses indeed.

Getting the thinkpad boat anchor out of circulation can only be viewed as a good thing.

The Chinese are not to be trusted and if they are making computers headed to the states, count on there being some sort of sub-circuit, multiplex transmitter, or backdoor process that will support their intelligence efforts.

It is too bad IBM sold to them.

[Hexenhammer]

Why are we even bying the damned Chi-Com computers in the first place?!

[Golden Eagle]

Leftists working in our government, especially in the State Department.

[sigSEGV]

Because they are considered to be the best laptops on the market. They only recently went from IBM and were sold to Lenovo, a Chinese company. A lot of trust was built up with the brand.

[BurbankKarl]

Lenovos are the best laptops.

[mkjessup]

Any ChiCom manufactured computer MUST be assumed to have some sort of "ET Call Home" mechanism in it, if not on the motherboard or one of the PC cards, in the keyboard.

What Beijing didn't consider is that with OUR State Department being the purchaser AND the end user, they didn't have to install any nefarious bugs or spyware or phone-home gimmicks, all their agents have to do is just pick up the phone and call up the friendly folks at C Street Southwest, they'll be GLAD to hand over damn near anything Beijing (or any of America's enemies) desire.

[Golden Eagle]

Bios Magazine got their hands on one of the latest Lenovos..."it's definitely not a ThinkPad."

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/334/C7154/

Lenovo...didn't quite reach the standard that long-time IBM users are accustomed to. The build quality is average at best, the screen is low resolution, and the notebook itself is "aesthetically challenged."

[Golden Eagle]

Why even run the risk, is the obvious question. If I wanted to buy foreign laptops instead of Dell or HP the smart decision would be Sony anyway.

[petro45acp]

BADAA BING!!!!!!


sissified, lace pants, hanky waving, "compromise is the only option," leftist, "art of the possible," surrender monkeys!

Not that I have any strong feelings about our foreign service!

[mad_as_he$$]

Sorry but my experience is that HP are the best. My IBM/Lenove's have all had serious reliability and support issues. HPs come up running first time all the time. We are very hard on our notebooks they get used in the field in all types of harsh areas.

[BurbankKarl]

Hey, I am just going on PC Magazine's testing.

But of course, their testing results may have to do with the amount of advertising purchased...like the car magazines.

[McCloud-Strife]

If I may quote the great James T Kirk. "Excellent work Mr Scott, you managed to fix the barn door after the horses get out."

[Golden Eagle]

So our State Department should be buying their laptops from China because PC Magazine says so?

[Jim_Curtis]

Why are we even bying the damned Chi-Com computers in the first place?!

So we could tear them open and learn their spying tricks?

Would have also seemed a good idea to use some of them to communicate bogus intelligence to the commies.

[pganini]

HP notebooks are made in China also.

[tallhappy]

Stae is now essentially a PR arm and support organization for the Chinese Communists.

This is escalated under Condi with Robert Zoellick.

Zoellick needs to be fired asap.

[Golden Eagle]

So we could tear them open and learn their spying tricks? Would have also seemed a good idea to use some of them to communicate bogus intelligence to the commies.

State Department's not that smart. They've been fighting to put the damn things on our classified networks even after Congress found out.

[Golden Eagle]

Fine by me. They also need to get rid of whoever approved handing the $16 million over for these laptops.

[roverman2K6]

Hp is the bomb you are right, IBM's were OK, but they suck now

[catmanblack.]

Its a madhouse, a madhouse!!!

[Sender]

Yes, just about all computer system boards, chips, hard drives and everything else are made in one part of China or another.

That is what we have done to ourselves. It is incredibly silly to assume Lenovo is some super-secret Chinese spy and HP or Dell are not.

[Golden Eagle]

It is incredibly silly to assume Lenovo is some super-secret Chinese spy and HP or Dell are not.

At least so says the man with Chinese proverbs in his tagline LOL.

[Reactionary]

"Lenovos are the best laptops."

Really? From the reviews, you couldn't tell it.

[Sender]

Confucius say, apprentice baiter must cut many fish before becoming a master ;)

[mad_as_he$$]

You are probably correct. Sad.....

[mad_as_he$$]

Yea I know it was the reliability thing I was addressing, but it still makes MAD!