US Intelligence Agencies Advise Against Buying Huawei, ZTE Smartphones

Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese technology companies, have been dealt a blow Wednesday (Feb. 14) after U.S. intelligence agencies issued a warning to consumers: stay away from smartphones made by the two companies.

According to a report in CNN, officials from the CIA, NSA, FBI and Defense Intelligence Agency testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee this week that smartphones made by these Chinese companies are a security threat to consumers in the U.S. When asked by Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, if they would advise American citizens to use products by Huawei and ZTE, none of the security officials opted to do so.

FBI Director Chris Wray said during testimony that there is the risk in letting companies that are “beholden to foreign governments” into the telecommunications infrastructure in the U.S.  “It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information,” Wray said, according to CNN. “And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage.”

In January, lawmakers introduced a bill that would prevent U.S. government agencies from doing business with Huawei and ZTE. Engadget reported at the time, “the bill – H.R. 4747 ‘Defending U.S. Government Communications Act’ – would prohibit any government agency from working with the Chinese companies due to several intelligence reports that show the companies are ‘subject to state influence.’”

The bill cites a report from 2011 in which the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission contended that the Chinese government has influence over Huawei and other companies, a 2013 statement from the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency that Huawei had provided sensitive information to China and a 2015 FBI report that there is a concern the Chinese government could access U.S. business communications through Huawei technology. The bill also mentions the ZTE Corp., which in 2017 pled guilty to charges of unlawfully shipping U.S. items to Iran.