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U.S. Intelligence Agency Heads Warn Against Using Huawei and ZTE Products
Intelligence agency heads have warned against using Huawei and ZTE [theverge.com] 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 [cnbc.com], 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 [cio.com.au] as "effectively an arm of the Chinese government." This caution led to a ban on Huawei bidding for US government contracts in 2014 [bbc.co.uk], 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 [soylentnews.org].
Don't use a Huawei phone because it's too Chinese. Don't use an Apple phone because strong encryption [soylentnews.org] is not "responsible encryption" [soylentnews.org]. Which phone is just right for the FBI? [9to5mac.com]
Previously: U.S. Lawmakers Urge AT&T to Cut Ties With Huawei [soylentnews.org]
Related: FBI Director Christopher Wray Keeps War on Encryption Alive [soylentnews.org]
U.S. Government Reportedly Wants to Build a 5G Network to Thwart Chinese Spying [soylentnews.org]
