Posted on 10/08/2012 3:05:12 PM PDT by Racehorse
The House Intelligence committee isn't going so far as to say the Chinese government is trying to turn us into a nation of Manchurian Candidates by using Chinese-made smartphones. What it is saying, after a yearlong investigation, is that two Chinese telecommunications equipment makers, Huawei Technologies and ZTE, may, under the direction of the Chinese government, make the equipment they sell purposely vulnerable to cyber-security leaks.
"We simply cannot trust such vital systems to companies with known ties to the Chinese state, a country that is the largest perpetrator of cyber espionage against the U.S.," said committee chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.).
A Huawei spokesman called the allegations "baseless," and a ZTE executive said "ZTE equipment is safe."
National security or just plain protectionism?
"Private-sector entities in the United States are strongly encouraged to consider the long-term security risks associated with doing business with either ZTE or Huawei for equipment or services," the report says.
That warning has probably come too late when it comes to wireless handsets. ZTE already sells smartphones to Sprint Nextel (NYS: S) and Leap Wireless' (NAS: LEAP) Cricket brand. Huawei also sells to Cricket, and both companies sell their phones to MetroPCS (NYS: PCS) .
Does that mean that they should give up access to less expensive smartphones from those Chinese companies? And, if so, would that lessen their abilities to compete against the duopoly of wireless carriers in the U.S., AT&T (NYS: T) and Verizon (NYS: VZ) ?
(Excerpt) Read more at dailyfinance.com ...
Sorry...NOT giving up my $350 Huawei.
It works off the ‘droid platform and is better than my best friend’s I4.
Give up that PLUS my unlimited everything package from my carrier at under $60/mo?
Are these tinfoil-hat paranoid worriers crazy????
Besides, unless the Chicoms knowing my performance engagement schedule for the next few years is a matter of national security I don’t care. Unless, of course, they’re gonna leak it to Lang Lang and Yundi Li.
The effect would be to bring the manufacture of these goods back to the US and friendly nations, where they belong. Let China prove they are a trustworthy trading partner. So far, they have only proven that they are not.
Last year I took possession of 36 24 and 48 port routers(HP) for my job at a MAJOR US Military Command Post and EVERY ONE of them were “Made in China”, make ya wonder what else they may have slipped in them!
No, I just know a good deal when I see it. I also don;t have any secrets to spill.
Unless, of course, you wanna know the secret to making it through the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto intact, still breathing, and well enough to shut up the goddamn critics.
The effect would be to bring the manufacture of these goods back to the US and friendly nations
***************************************
No , the effect would be that the chips and devices would be trans-shipped through Taiwan and labeled “made in Taiwan” , just as lobsters here are air freighted to Maine and re-shipped out with a “Maine Lobster” label.
I wonder if the Obama phones are made in China.
Everybody in Cleveland minorities got Chinese Obama phone! Keep Obama in President, you know? He give us a phone!
I am not as concerned with “Made in China” as much as I am concerned with “Sysadmin in China”, which is what Huawei is all about.
I don’t think one needs to be a rocket scientist to assume there could be a potential security risk with “Made in China” in your network, but handing the keys to your administration of that network is sheer lunacy.
I find it appalling on two counts, one, that someone has to raise the red flag on it, and two, there are people who couldn’t give a damn.
Amazing.
How many of our computers are made in China?
Dear HP, as retired HP I’m assuming 8753 is a model number for some kind of rf measurement gear. But to answer your question, I remember every ProLiant Server I ever installed were labelled “Made in China”.
Right you are. The HP 8753 was a Vector Network Analyzer for RF measurements.
This is one of those deals where you just need to "follow the dollars". The Chinese may be scum, but I sometimes I think our scum is worse than their scum.
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.