Why Facebook’s tie-up with Chinese smartphone giant Huawei is the sum of all fears in US
‘If Facebook granted Huawei special access to social data of Americans, it might as well have given it directly to the government of China’
Amid the uproar over Facebook’s admission that it shared user data with Chinese device makers is an undercurrent of tension between the United States and China over technological dominance.
Not only was Facebook passing previously undisclosed personal information to other companies, but also one of the dozens of firms involved was Huawei, a Chinese firm flagged by US intelligence officials as a national security risk because of its alleged ties to China’s government.
The response in Washington after Facebook divulged the partnerships late Tuesday was swift and predictable.
“If Facebook granted Huawei special access to social data of Americans, (it) might as well have given it directly to the government of China,” tweeted Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
Facebook’s latest controversy stems from a New York Times report published Sunday that said the social network gave data on users and their friends to at least 60 device makers. The companies included Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry.