The Democratic National Committee has advised Democrats and their staff to avoid purchasing and/or using smartphones made by ZTE and Huawei, both Chinese companies, citing potential security concerns. Both companies have been in the US government's crosshairs for years, with officials and politicians worrying that these devices may be used by the Chinese government to compromise US telecommunications.
It seems that ZTE can finally put the nightmarish few months behind it. Somewhat. Although the company and US President Trump’s administration just recently signed a deal that lifted what would have been a fatal seven-year ban, senators from both sides of the political fence wanted to block that deal by sneaking it into an upcoming law. Now it seems that the deal will be left in place after Republican senators decided to withdraw that clause in exchange for some other stipulation that both political parties could agree on.
ZTE’s nightmares may finally be coming to an end. Of course, it will still have to recoup its losses from both paying the US’ penalties and months of stopping operations but at least it will have a chance to. That is, if it gets off the ground at all. The US government just announced that ZTE has signed an agreement to pay an escrow and install a monitor. Once that’s done, the company will finally be free, sort of.
ZTE is a Chinese company but it has found itself in the unfortunate position to need the US government’s permission before it can start operating again. That authorization has just been provided, allowing ZTE to breathe just a little bit. It is, however, a very small reprieve that will run only until August 1 as ZTE awaits the ultimate fate of its compromise with the Trump administration that is being blocked even by the US presidents’ allies in Congress.
OEMs and proponents can rationalize it all they want but there’s no denying the historical fact that the notch, a.k.a. the screen cutout, would have not existed if not for the bezel-less display trend. Since it debuted on the iPhone X and dozens of phones later, other manufacturers, curiously all Chinese ones, have tried their hands at solving the design problem in a different way. According to a new leak, ZTE might actually have the solution that makes the most practical sense but also the most expensive.
It may have been painted as ZTE’s lifesaver but the $1 billion deal it signed with the US government may prove to be even more trouble. The agreement would naturally incur a lot of changes on ZTE’s part, but that is if it will actually push through. The US Senate has just voted 85 to 10 to pass an annual defense policy bill that, among other things, included a provision that would block the Trump administration’s deal with ZTE in the interests of national security.
ZTE was just handed a deal by Wilbur Ross, Trump casino investor** and current Trump-appointed Secretary of Commerce. In the year 2012, ZTE broke US embargo with Iran and North Korea. ZTE pled guilty in a US court, and agreed to several penalties - only to one of which it actually complied. Having broken agreement to NOT deal ship products to Iran and North Korea, then broken agreement to penalties for breaking the first agreement, the US government delivered a 7-year ban on US companies exporting ANY products to ZTE's businesses.
When Huawei was under pressure from the US government for its alleged role in state-sanctioned espionage, the Chinese OEM refused to bend a knee. ZTE, unfortunately, couldn’t afford to be as unfazed. The seven-year sanction imposed by the US government has caused the Chinese smartphone and network equipment maker’s operations to come to a grinding halt, which, in turn, prompted US President Donald Trump to swoop in to save the day. Now sources are reporting that ZTE has signed an agreement over the weekend that would finally get that export ban lifted, and it’s bending over backward to do so.
A report made by Avast this morning delivered a list of devices with malware right out the box. I'd love to say this was a surprise, but it wasn't. Devices on the list published by Avast come from brand we've known to do devious deeds in the past. Let's take a look at this list and discuss why these brands need to be avoided and/or shut down by consumers completely.
Bad cop, good cop strategies are nothing new, but it's rare to see both roles being played by the same person. Some might see it as a change of heart, mercy, or even forgiveness. Others might pin it down on multiple personality disorder. Either way, US President Donald Trump has tweeted that he instructed the country's Commerce Department to quickly find a way to get ZTE up and running again just weeks after the same government signed its death sentence.
Chinese telecommunications company ZTE has stopped major business operations, it has revealed, as a consequence on the US ban on selling components to the maker. The company mentioned the change in a document published today, stating that "major operating activities...have ceased" without additional details on what, exactly, that means.
![Huawei, ZTE banned from military base retail stores over security risks [UPDATE]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/huawei-p20-pro-3-1187x720-980x620.jpg)
Chinese phone makers ZTE and Huawei remain under scrutiny by the US government, which has banned them from retail stores on military bases. The order comes from the Pentagon and applies to US military bases around the world, a decision made over alleged security issues the devices may present. Both companies have previously, and repeatedly, dismissed the government's concerns.