Lawmakers want US Commerce Department to probe Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two U.S. lawmakers on Friday asked the Commerce Department to investigate whether devices sold by Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus in the United States pose security concerns, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

WHY IT MATTERS

Representative John Moolenaar, a Republican who chairs a House of Representatives committee on China, and the panel's top Democrat, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, noted that major U.S. retailers sell OnePlus devices for use on two U.S. wireless networks.

The lawmakers said a recent analysis by a commercial company provided to the committee indicates that these devices may potentially collect and transmit extensive user data -- including sensitive personal information to servers under Chinese jurisdiction without explicit user consent.

Shenzhen-based OnePlus did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Commerce Department also did not immediately comment.

CONTEXT

BestBuy and Amazon.com both sell OnePlus phones for U.S. consumers, which operate on the Verizon and T-Mobile networks, the committee said.

The lawmakers asked the department to task its Information and Communications Technology and Services program with investigating OnePlus phones, including to determine user data types collected by OnePlus devices without explicit user consent "including potential transfers of sensitive personal information and screenshots."

Washington in recent years has cracked down on Chinese telecoms, revoking the authorization for China Telecom's U.S. subsidiary and others to operate in the United States, citing national security concerns.

The Federal Communications Commission in November 2022 banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE as well as telecom and video surveillance equipment from Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Edward Tobin)

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