Submitted via IRC for Runaway1956
The U.S. Intel Community's Demonization of Huawei Remains Highly Hypocritical
We've noted for some time how Chinese hardware vendor Huawei has been consistently accused of spying on American citizens without any substantive, public evidence. You might recall that these accusations flared up several years ago, resulting in numerous investigations that culminated in no hard evidence whatsoever to support the allegations. We're not talking about superficial inquiries, we're talking about eighteen months, in-depth reviews by people with every interest in exposing them. One anonymous insider put it this way in the wake of the last bout of hysteria surrounding the company:
We knew certain parts of government really wanted" evidence of active spying, said one of the people, who requested anonymity. "We would have found it if it were there.
[...] This week, hysteria concerning Huawei again reached a fevered pitch, as U.S. intelligence chiefs, testifying before Congress over Russian hacking and disinformation concerns, again proclaimed that Huawei was spying on American citizens and their products most assuredly should not be used:
At the hearing, FBI Director Chris Wray testified, "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." Purchasing Huawei or ZTE products, Wray added, "provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage.
Which values would those be, exactly? Would it be the values, as leaked Edward Snowden docs revealed, that resulted in the NSA hacking into Huawei, stealing source code, then attempting to plant its own backdoors into Huawei products? Or perhaps it's the values inherent in working closely with companies like AT&T to hoover up every shred of data that touches the AT&T network and share it with the intelligence community? Perhaps it's the values inherent in trying to demonize encryption, by proxy weakening security for everyone?
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omoc writes:
"From the SPON article:
"The American government conducted a major intelligence offensive against China, with targets including the Chinese government and networking company Huawei, according to documents from former NSA worker Edward Snowden that have been viewed by SPIEGEL. Among the American intelligence service's targets were former Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Chinese Trade Ministry, banks, as well as telecommunications companies. But the NSA made a special effort to target Huawei.
According to a top secret NSA presentation, NSA workers not only succeeded in accessing the email archive, but also the secret source code of individual Huwaei products."
Exclusive: U.S. lawmakers urge AT&T to cut commercial ties with Huawei - sources
U.S. lawmakers are urging AT&T Inc, the No. 2 wireless carrier, to cut commercial ties to Chinese phone maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and oppose plans by telecom operator China Mobile Ltd to enter the U.S. market because of national security concerns, two congressional aides said.
[...] Earlier this month, AT&T was forced to scrap a plan to offer its customers Huawei handsets after some members of Congress lobbied against the idea with federal regulators, sources told Reuters.
The U.S. government has also blocked a string of Chinese acquisitions over national security concerns, including Ant Financial's proposed purchase of U.S. money transfer company MoneyGram International Inc.
The lawmakers are also advising U.S. firms that if they have ties to Huawei or China Mobile, it could hamper their ability to do business with the U.S. government, one aide said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Related: NSA Spied on Chinese Government and Huawei
Kaspersky Willing to Hand Source Code Over to U.S. Government
Kaspersky Lab has been Working With Russian Intelligence
FBI Reportedly Advising Companies to Ditch Kaspersky Apps
Federal Government, Concerned About Cyberespionage, Bans Use of Kaspersky Labs Products
Verizon is following AT&T's lead and cancelling plans to sell Huawei's Mate 10 Pro smartphone that boasts support for the upcoming super-fast 5G network, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday.
Verizon's decision is reportedly based on political pressure from the US government, which is seeing a reinvigorated fear of spying from China as US regulators urged an investigation of Chinese-made telecom equipment in December 2017. It's the same reason AT&T dropped its deal with Huawei to offer the Mate 10 Pro on January 8.
Huawei's Mate 10 Pro with 5G networking capabilities seemingly falls under the category of Chinese-made telecom equipment under investigation, as the company has been accused of having ties with the Chinese government.
Previously: U.S. Lawmakers Urge AT&T to Cut Ties With Huawei
Related: U.S. Government Reportedly Wants to Build a 5G Network to Thwart Chinese Spying
Intelligence agency heads have warned against using Huawei and ZTE products and services:
The heads of six major US intelligence agencies have warned that American citizens shouldn't use products and services made by Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE. According to a report from CNBC, the intelligence chiefs made the recommendation during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday. The group included the heads of the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and the director of national intelligence.
During his testimony, FBI Director Chris Wray said the the government was "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." He added that this would provide "the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage."
These warnings are nothing new. The US intelligence community has long been wary of Huawei, which was founded by a former engineer in China's People's Liberation Army and has been described by US politicians as "effectively an arm of the Chinese government." This caution led to a ban on Huawei bidding for US government contracts in 2014, and it's now causing problems for the company's push into consumer electronics.
Verizon and AT&T recently cancelled plans to sell Huawei's Mate 10 Pro smartphone.
Don't use a Huawei phone because it's too Chinese. Don't use an Apple phone because strong encryption is not "responsible encryption". Which phone is just right for the FBI?
Previously: U.S. Lawmakers Urge AT&T to Cut Ties With Huawei
Related: FBI Director Christopher Wray Keeps War on Encryption Alive
U.S. Government Reportedly Wants to Build a 5G Network to Thwart Chinese Spying
Best Buy will cut ties with Huawei and stop selling Huawei products over the next few weeks. Huawei's smartphones, such as its new flagship Mate 10 Pro, are sold in the U.S. by retailers, but no U.S. wireless service provider will sell them. Now the largest electronics retailer in the U.S. is calling it quits:
The move, after similar actions from U.S. carriers including AT&T Inc, comes as U.S. scrutiny of Chinese tech firms grows amid simmering tensions over U.S.-China trade and concerns of security.
[...] Earlier this year, AT&T was forced to scrap a plan to offer Huawei handsets after some members of Congress lobbied against the idea with federal regulators, sources told Reuters. Verizon Communications Inc also ended its plans to sell Huawei phones last year, according to media reports.
Last month two Republican Senators introduced legislation that would block the U.S. government from buying or leasing telecommunications equipment from Huawei or Chinese peer ZTE Corp, citing concern the firms would use their access to spy on U.S. officials.
Previously: U.S. Lawmakers Urge AT&T to Cut Ties With Huawei
Verizon Cancels Plans to Sell Huawei Phone Due to U.S. Government Pressure
U.S. Intelligence Agency Heads Warn Against Using Huawei and ZTE Products
The U.S. Intelligence Community's Demonization of Huawei Remains Highly Hypocritical
Huawei's consumer business group CEO Richard Yu is not giving up on selling smartphones and other devices in the U.S., despite warnings against the company made by U.S. government officials and a lack of support from retailers. The company recently released a new flagship smartphone, the Huawei P20 Pro:
"We are committed to the US market and to earning the trust of US consumers by staying focused on delivering world-class products and innovation," Yu told CNET in an email. "We would never compromise that trust."
The comments mark a defiant response to the vague warnings made by US officials that have effectively crippled Huawei's ability to get its phones in front of consumers. In January, AT&T pulled out of a landmark plan to sell the Mate 10 Pro, an important high-end Huawei phone. Verizon reportedly also scuttled a deal to carry the device based on political pressure. CNET was also first to report that Best Buy, the US' largest electronics retailer, dropped Huawei phones from its roster.
[...] "The security risk concerns are based on groundless suspicions and are quite frankly unfair," Yu said. "We welcome an open and transparent discussion if it is based on facts." [...] "We work with 46 of the 50 global operators," Yu told CNET, "And have maintained a very strong security record because security is one of our top priorities." [...] "Even without the United States market, we'll be No. 1 in the world," Yu said earlier this week.
Huawei reported a 27% jump in profits in 2017, despite its struggle to establish itself in the U.S. market.
See also: Huawei P20 launch highlights the risks of U.S. paranoia over Chinese security
Huawei's P20 Pro is a hugely promising phone that will upset Americans
Previously: U.S. Lawmakers Urge AT&T to Cut Ties With Huawei
Verizon Cancels Plans to Sell Huawei Phone Due to U.S. Government Pressure
The U.S. Intelligence Community's Demonization of Huawei Remains Highly Hypocritical
Banning Chinese network gear is a really bad idea, small ISPs tell FCC
The Federal Communications Commission's proposed ban on Huawei and ZTE gear in government-funded projects will hurt small Internet providers' efforts to deploy broadband, according to a lobby group for rural ISPs.
As previously reported, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal would prevent Universal Service Fund (USF) money from being used to buy equipment or services from companies that "pos[e] a national security risk." If the FCC approves the proposal, the ban is most likely to prevent the purchase of equipment from Chinese technology vendors Huawei and ZTE. But it could also affect other companies and technology from other countries, depending on how the FCC determines which companies pose national security threats.
ISPs who use federal money to build or expand broadband service would end up with fewer options for buying network gear. This would "irreparably damage broadband networks (and limit future deployment) in many rural and remote areas throughout the country," the Rural Wireless Association (RWA) told the FCC in a filing yesterday.
The RWA represents rural wireless Internet providers that offer home or mobile Internet service and have fewer than 100,000 subscribers. A recent Wall Street Journal report said that small ISPs rely on Huawei gear more than large telcos do.
Previously: U.S. Lawmakers Urge AT&T to Cut Ties With Huawei
U.S. Government Reportedly Wants to Build a 5G Network to Thwart Chinese Spying
U.S. Intelligence Agency Heads Warn Against Using Huawei and ZTE Products
The U.S. Intelligence Community's Demonization of Huawei Remains Highly Hypocritical
China's ZTE slams U.S. ban, says company's survival at risk
China's ZTE Corp said on Friday that a U.S. ban on the sale of parts and software to the company was unfair and threatens its survival, and vowed to safeguard its interests through all legal means.
The United States this week imposed a ban on sales by American companies to ZTE for seven years, saying the Chinese company had broken a settlement agreement with repeated false statements - a move that threatens to cut off its supply chain.
"It is unacceptable that BIS insists on unfairly imposing the most severe penalty on ZTE even before the completion of investigation of facts," ZTE said in its first response since the ban was announced, referring to the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security. "The Denial Order will not only severely impact the survival and development of ZTE, but will also cause damages to all partners of ZTE including a large number of U.S. companies," ZTE said in a statement.
ZTE said it regards compliance as the cornerstone of its strategy, adding it invested $50 million in export control compliance projects in 2017 and plans to invest more this year. A senior U.S. Commerce Department official told Reuters earlier this week that it is unlikely to lift the ban.
Also at WSJ.
Previously: U.S. Intelligence Agency Heads Warn Against Using Huawei and ZTE Products
The U.S. Intelligence Community's Demonization of Huawei Remains Highly Hypocritical
Huawei CEO Still Committed to the U.S. Market
Rural Wireless Association Opposes U.S. Government Ban on Huawei and ZTE Equipment
Related: ZTE's $99 Zmax Pro Smartphone Packs in Top-Line Features
President Trump yesterday signed a defense funding bill that included a sweeping ban on the US government using technology supplied by Chinese telecommunications giants ZTE and Huawei. The bill also includes a narrower ban on using surveillance gear provided by Chinese companies Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, or Dahua Technology for national security applications.
The legislation directs federal agencies to stop using the Chinese-made hardware within two years. If that proves impractical, an agency can apply for a waiver to permit a longer phase-out period.
Obviously, being banned from selling to the US government is a significant blow to these companies. But overall the bill actually represents something of a reprieve for ZTE. Back in June, the US Senate passed a version of the bill that would have re-imposed an export ban that would have been a de facto death sentence for ZTE because ZTE is heavily dependent on components like Qualcomm chips and Google's Android operating system.
Previously: Verizon Cancels Plans to Sell Huawei Phone Due to U.S. Government Pressure
U.S. Intelligence Agency Heads Warn Against Using Huawei and ZTE Products
The U.S. Intelligence Community's Demonization of Huawei Remains Highly Hypocritical
Huawei CEO Still Committed to the U.S. Market
Rural Wireless Association Opposes U.S. Government Ban on Huawei and ZTE Equipment
ZTE Suspends Operations Due to U.S. Ban (UPDATED)
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australia's government on Thursday banned major Chinese telecoms firm Huawei Technologies from supplying equipment for its planned 5G mobile network, citing risks of foreign interference.
The 1000-word statement did not mention China, or the Chinese telecommunications equipment giants Huawei or ZTE. Nor did it plainly state the bombshell decision that they are to be banned from building Australia's new telecommunications network.
The fifth generation mobile telecoms system, or 5G, is a big deal. It's to be the key architecture of an increasingly wired nation, connecting power and water systems, medical and driverless technologies, systems in homes and hospitals, factories and farms, enabling the so-called "internet of things".
If you're getting the impression that the government didn't want to draw attention to the announcement, you're right. After months of careful scrutiny, the cabinet's national security committee had made the decision a week earlier. Then sat on it.
Despite U.S. Pressure, Germany Refuses To Exclude Huawei's 5G Technology
The Trump administration insists that Chinese firm Huawei, which makes 5G technology, could hand over data to the Chinese government. The U.S. has warned European allies, including Germany, Hungary and Poland, to ban Huawei from its 5G network or risk losing access to intelligence-sharing.
Germany has refused to ban any company, despite pressure from the U.S. Instead, Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated that her country would instead tighten security rules. "Our approach is not to simply exclude one company or one actor," she told a conference in Berlin on Tuesday, "but rather we have requirements of the competitors for this 5G technology."
Did The U.S. Just Lose Its War With Huawei?
"There are two things I don't believe in," Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, referring to Germany's standoff with the United States over Huawei's inclusion in her country's 5G rollout. "First, to discuss these very sensitive security questions publicly, and, second, to exclude a company simply because it's from a certain country."
Europe now seems likely to settle on 'careful and considered' inclusion of Huawei instead of any blanket bans. Chancellor Merkel stressed this week that a joined-up EU response would be "desirable", and Italy and the U.K. are also backing away from Washington's prohibition on Huawei's 5G technology. If they fold, it is likely the broader European Union will follow suit. And if those key European allies can't be carried, what chance Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 21 2018, @10:43PM
"Huawei's products can't be trusted because they're not beholden to US - we try to coerce our spying, eavesdropping, backdoors, etc into their products, but its not working! So stop using them in favor of local companies who are beholden to us and thus totally trustworthy (for us.)" - what Chris Wray was thinking...
(Score: 2) by crafoo on Wednesday February 21 2018, @10:52PM (21 children)
Hypocritical, yes, absolutely. But that doesn't mean Huawei ins't a scumbag company and isn't Chinese-government-operated. It most certainly is. Oh, you don't think so? Produce fully documented schematics and source for all drivers or STFU.
(Score: 5, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 21 2018, @10:57PM (17 children)
Just as soon as you produce fully documented schematics and source for all drivers for apple's iphones or any other major brand of cellphone. If you can't, does that mean they all have backdoors in the hardware or firmware? Sheesh, go put your tinfoil hat back on.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:16PM (14 children)
I don't know how many backdoors they have or if they have them, but I won't use them purely because their products are proprietary, infested with digital restrictions management, and locked-down. Whether or not they abuse their powers is inconsequential; they are denying users their freedoms, and that's bad enough.
But yes, it's entirely possible for backdoors to be hiding in such an environment, and you don't even have the freedom to look for them in the code. Corporations and governments have abused their powers time and time again, so there is no reason to trust them at all.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:42PM (9 children)
-s?
There are millions of apps in both stores. Both Android and iOS are chock full of proprietary badness.
I use the Facebook App to keep in touch with my friends and relatives. I expect that's why most of Facebook's users use Facebook.
Source code wouldn't be a whole lot of good for the typical smartphone user.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @12:12AM (1 child)
In communist <everywhere>, Facebook app uses you.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Thursday February 22 2018, @02:15AM
Lots of sites try to track me but I slay them all with my superior Code Fu.
I don't list my favorite books or movies at Facebook. That there even is a UI for listing them makes it plainly apparent that the lists are used for profiling.
However I recently decided to list some of both, but the profile they make will be that of a fictional person. That is, I won't list anything that really is my favorite.
Also do I need to repeat myself?
127.0.0.1 ssl.google-analytics.com
I at one time had dozens of such entries in my hosts file, but that was on some other computer that's not convenient for me to monkey around with.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @01:52AM (5 children)
The fact that you can earn money doing evil doesn't make it ethical.
Yes, and they're both bad. What's your point? You even seem to admit that it's a bad thing by using the word "badness". So is there even a disagreement here?
Then you tacitly support a monstrous surveillance engine, making you part of the problem. You are a Facebook used (yes, "used").
It's not just about the typical smartphone user; it's about freedom. Some users might want to pay others to make changes to certain software. Some users might want to implement the changes themselves. Some users might simply want to sit back and wait for others to make desirable changes. There are countless ways to benefit from freedom, and just having the freedom to do these things is a good thing.
Proprietary software necessarily comes into conflict with independence, education, and freedom. If you value those concepts, then you should be opposed to proprietary software on some level.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Thursday February 22 2018, @04:46AM
But am opposed to open source
I read the gnu manifesto well before Eric Raymond figured out how not to soil his diapers
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by c0lo on Thursday February 22 2018, @07:47AM (3 children)
I like the term. What's its plural, tho, "useders" maybe?
What about the collective noun: herd, flock or mob?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @08:43AM (2 children)
> I like the term. What's its plural, tho, "useders" maybe?
"Useds".
> What about the collective noun: herd, flock or mob?
Hive, if you want to emphasize the "group mind" aspect. "A hive of Facebook useds isolated in their filter bubbles."
Swarm, if you want to emphasize the sheer numbers and mindless outrage. "The business' good name was demolished by a swarm of Twitter useds."
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday February 22 2018, @08:56AM (1 child)
> Hive, if you want to emphasize the "group mind" aspect.
There's no mind in the group
> Swarm, if you want to emphasize the sheer numbers and mindless outrage.
What if there's no outrage?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @11:35AM
>> Hive, if you want to emphasize the "group mind" aspect.
> There's no mind in the group
That's why I put it in scare quotes.
>> Swarm, if you want to emphasize the sheer numbers and mindless outrage.
>What if there's no outrage?
My bad. s/and/and\/or/
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday February 22 2018, @08:12PM
Not directly, but by being available, it will possibly get examined by someone somewhere who will blow the whistle on any badness there. THEN the typical user benefits from the source having been available.
Kinda like my Mom's car being easy to service doesn't help Mom directly, but it does mean I can go over and take care of it for her rather than resorting to a shop with specialized tools.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @12:29AM (3 children)
I'm not too worried about backdoors but I still use Lineage OS without google apps. No google calendar, no google contacts, no google maps. Was a bitch to switch away from google but I found all the (free and open) apps I needed and I feel better about it.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday February 22 2018, @01:35AM (2 children)
Shame you can't stop your carrier or the manufacturer from slurping your data.
Proprietry blobs everywhere!
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @02:59AM (1 child)
I don't think the phone manufacturer can wriggle around Lineage OS even if they control the baseband CPU. Maybe. The carrier only has access to non-SSL traffic, so no biggie. Of course carrier gets to see any text msgs and gets to see phone calls. I'm not sure if they choose to snoop on actual phone voice traffic. All and all much better than letting google run roughshod over my private parts. "Private parts", heheheh!
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Thursday February 22 2018, @04:50AM
I'm curious as to what advertising I will see when they all think I live in Holland
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Arik on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:40PM
It certainly means they're defective by design and you have no reason to assume that doesn't include backdoors, among other misfeatures, yes, absolutely.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @06:36PM
Given the state of the US with secret warrants/evidence/courts/gag letters I will gladly keep my EMF blocking cranial-ware in place! At this point I think we need to start demanding proof of good faith, we already have a metric shit ton of generally bad track records.
(Score: 2) by Wootery on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:02PM
They won't, of course, but Hanlon's Razor is still there.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:49PM (1 child)
The Chinese government is not really that much of a threat to me, probably none. The US government, under whose thumb I am ... that's a different matter.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by Wootery on Thursday February 22 2018, @09:34AM
Refusing to end a sentence with a preposition - doing God's work!
Not sure it makes up for your rather lazy equivalence there, though.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 21 2018, @10:53PM (3 children)
If we forced Cisco to include backdoors (not shown to be the case) and then we claimed that China was shamefully unethical for doing likewise, that would be hypocritical.
Even if that were the case, so what? It doesn't change the fact that Chinese backdoors are a huge security risk for the USA, and it doesn't change the fact that the USA is expected to hack into all things foreign. Nations fight to gain advantage over each other -- this is not news.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by insanumingenium on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:45PM
More importantly, as a extremely low profile target both at home and abroad, I would almost rather have a Chinese backdoor given my druthers. At least I don't have any reason to think that a Chinese government file on me would provide anything the us law enforcement machine would use to try and indict me. As where several people claimed to have conversations with G-Men after shopping for pressure cookers before a marathon. And if these hypothetical backdoors start getting used for active nefarious purpose I can just point at the device and say "crafty Chinese hackers shoulda known better than to buy an import".
(Score: 2) by qzm on Thursday February 22 2018, @10:02AM (1 child)
Except even after heroic effort to find them, no backdoors have been found (in the level of equipment the govt is talking about)
So, no. Your equivalence is completely false.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @06:52PM
Source for such heroic efforts or you're full of shit.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by tangomargarine on Wednesday February 21 2018, @10:54PM (2 children)
I'm deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to our government that doesn't share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 4, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday February 22 2018, @01:29AM
Every "free" router I have ever been given by an ISP in my country is a Huawei one.*
Also, as far as I am aware all the networking gear at their end is Huawei too. I live in a 5-Eyes country, if that matters.
* Not that I bother using them, they're rubbish. I bought one of these instead, [pcengines.ch] and installed pfSense on it.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday February 23 2018, @05:05PM
To clarify I more intended the parsing
over
I get the impression the majority of politicians these days don't actually believe in our founding principles anymore. The Constitution is a thing to be bent to their purposes or avoided, rather than obeyed.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2, Informative) by petecox on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:21PM (4 children)
But the best headline of the week Russian Biathletes Sue Doctor Who [ycombinator.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:26PM
fixed
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @05:58AM
Obviously, but there is no need to have a Meltdown over it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @08:55AM
Not really. "Intel" is actually even more precise of a term than "intelligence".
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/intel [dictionary.com] :
(Score: 3, Funny) by tangomargarine on Thursday February 22 2018, @04:27PM
You win the award for Most Misleading String Truncation this week.
Or alternately their line break placement sucks.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by arslan on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:24PM (2 children)
Ban on all software that the spooks think have ties foreign actors (in other words the spooks can't plant back doors), this already started with Kaspersky.
Ban on all internet traffic where spooks think have ties to foreign actors - shall we call it "the great wall" of liberty, and you think Trump's wall is bad.
Ban on all speech that the spooks think have ties to foreign actors - already started with the social media platforms.
Oh what the hell, lets just do Ban on that the spooks think have ties to foreign actors.
Slippery slope indeed. The worst part is, the US sets the precedent for their trailing dogs like our politicians here in Oz to follow suit.
We got SJWs for everything except these kind of gross abuse of liberty & privacy.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Thursday February 22 2018, @04:53AM (1 child)
"Running" dogs
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Thursday February 22 2018, @05:49AM
"Running" suggests they might have a say in the direction.
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 21 2018, @11:50PM (5 children)
It would be hypocrisy if the US claimed not to build backdoors into IT equipment, while doing so. As far as I can tell, they haven't claimed that they don't do it, and it hasn't been shown that they do. Of the two conditions necessary for hypocrisy, zero have been met.
Calling out the risk for the US to use Chinese IT equipment is not hypocrisy. After all, if the countries come to blows, it would be natural for each side to try to shut the other's systems down.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @02:36AM
Are you a fucking robot wtf. Oh logic 1 logic 2 .. fuck you
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday February 22 2018, @03:23AM (3 children)
https://www.infoworld.com/article/2608141/internet-privacy/snowden--the-nsa-planted-backdoors-in-cisco-products.html [infoworld.com]
So, there is evidence the NSA tampered with Cisco products heading overseas.
https://www.cio.com.au/article/535017/apple_cisco_dell_unhappy_over_alleged_nsa_back_doors_their_gear/ [cio.com.au]
And they didn't deny it.
BUT they don't want Any Other Country (China) doing it too. -- this bit makes them hypocrites.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @06:12AM (2 children)
Hypocrisy requires some sort of moral/ethical condemnation of the other party. I'm not seeing that here. The US is just saying to watch out for it.
Cisco products were tampered with, yes, but Cisco wasn't forced to install a backdoor.
Cisco isn't known to include a backdoor. Huawei makes it a well-known standard feature.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday February 22 2018, @07:52AM
[Citation needed]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @09:02AM
Cisco is the hardware maker that we absolutely, unequivocally, know has a backdoor, and it's directly connected to them being a US company. They may not have inserted the backdoor themselves, but as an end user, I don't care where it came from. I only care that it's there.
For Huawei, I'd consider it more likely than not that there are backdoors, but AFAIK there is absolutely no proof -- despite the US intel agencies (among others) spending years looking for them.
Therefore, both your statements are completely false. QED.
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @02:32AM
Ass dam duck shit fuck!!!;!!!!!!!
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @02:46AM (2 children)
In all seriousness "Soylent Gods hear me now" there needs to be a wiki or some archive that describes what goes on here (this swirling bowl of toilet.wafer)I because meme within meme within troll within meme, history repeats it self. ok
(Score: 3, Touché) by takyon on Thursday February 22 2018, @02:49AM (1 child)
We have a wiki [soylentnews.org] but it doesn't have any tips for sobering up or dealing with your crippling depression.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @06:55AM
Too chette dear sir
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22 2018, @08:07AM
"Huawei" sounds just like an NSA employee would pronounce the word "mirror".
"I look in the huawei, and all I see is spying. Capturing every little bit of information about every American and our allies. I feel sick every time I look in the huawei"
"Do you mean the mirror?"
"That's what I said. I look in the huawei".
(Score: 2) by Lester on Thursday February 22 2018, @08:24AM
We need a Chinese Snowden to confirm what we suspect: That China tries its manufacturers to include spying systems, like we already know USA does
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @05:17AM
TFA makes a claim that there is no hard evidence that Huawei spies on US citizens based on things like a White House report. And that may be technically true. Nevertheless the evidence that Huawei spies on certain US companies in order to learn trade secrets, obtain internal product designs, and to steal intellectual property is strong. We have caught Huawei using personnel plundering our IP. We have found Huawei products with a wholesale ripoff of our code and chip design.
Beyond stealing IP: We have also traced an infrastructure attack that used inside knowledge that came from inside persons who were working with Huawei. I’m not saying that Huawei did the infrastructure attack. I’m saying the inside knowledge they stole was later used by someone to launch the attack. The key that was used to launch the infrastructure attack was stolen by people working on behalf of Huawei. It would not surprise me if US intelligence failed an attempt to tie Huawei to the attack. We had no evidence that Huawei did the attack, only that they stole the key that was used be someone else to conduct the attack.
Certain thieves working with or on behalf of Huawei do spy and steal intellectual property from US competitors of Huawei. Moreover Huawei management seems to have no problem in using stolen IP in their products, counting on the poor patient protection under Chinese law to protect them. Sometimes we can block a stolen product for being sold in the US, but it is very difficult to block the Huawei sale of stolen IP in China, let alone across the world.
There are many honorable companies in China who do not steal like Huawei does. We have valuable partnerships with other Chinese companies who strictly enforce a mutual NDA. Huawei is not one of these honorable companies.
Huawei might not spy wholesale on American citizens but do spy on select US companies for the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage. And Huawei may also give key infrastructure details to groups capable of launching infrastructure attacks.
Huawei is an intellectual property theft company.