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Comment by game_the0ry | Hacker News Reader

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> so there is nothing stopping foxconn workers fro installing spyware on the factory floor.

Which would mean that Tim Cook would be getting a late-night phone call from an alphabet soup agency explaining to him in no uncertain terms that Apple's days of manufacturing devices in China are over, starting five minutes ago.

There's a business interest in not compromising hardware made in PRC for foreign companies. That doesn't exist when the CCP controls the company too.

It's an interesting theory. Doing such a thing (Apple stopping to manufacture in China abruptly) would severely disrupt Apple manufacturing and sales, and probably tank its stock price while they take years to ramp up manufacturing in alternative places in India. Such an event would have big ramifications for the US stock markets and wider economy. Do you think the US government as a whole would accept the risk of a stock market run by ruining a $2.6 trillion market cap company?

> would severely disrupt Apple manufacturing and sales, and probably tank its stock price

And the whole thing becoming public knowledge wouldn't cause that? Anyway... realistically they'd take some "measures" to make sure this never happens again while staying in the same factories and then probably accelerate their plan to move somewhere else long term.

It might not be "abrupt" (was taking poetic license with "five minutes ago") but there would probably be tremendous pressure to accelerate the creation of production capacity in countries less adversarial to the United States and its allies.

The late-night phone calls would be about the US government losing the ability to spy on its own citizens.

well the silicon is fabbed in Taiwan if you consider that China. Electronics are assembled in China but components originate from all over the world. Common processors are often designed in the US.... that has also been known to do a little spying.

Which is not to downplay the awesome ability of China to manufacture just about anything with incredible precision and quality.

I'm surprised Huawei used Intel with management engine after China banned it across all government machines. The Kirin 9000s might well have been a better choice. Who are they selling this to exactly, and how did they get access to intel parts?

> I'm surprised Huawei used Intel with management engine after China banned it across all government machines. The Kirin 9000s might well have been a better choice. Who are they selling this to exactly, and how did they get access to intel parts?

That's why I am confused about all the hate for Huawei, bc if you go down the spyware + manufacturing rabbit hole, it doesnt take long until you start to observe some inconsistencies in the narrative.

> so there is nothing stopping foxconn workers fro installing spyware on the factory floor.

Secure Boot might... in any case it's far from trivial as you seem to be implying. Also one would assume that Dell, HP, Apple might have QC and stuff like that.

Curious you don't think Apple does supply chain checks on its hardware?

But the entire supply chain is in China.

Taiwan?

I think you're talking about manufacturing (chip fab) in Foxconn in Taiwan. But this is the case for the intel chips in Huawei as well.

I am talking about assembly (supply chain), which is in China.

I source my personal electronics from South Korea and Taiwan very deliberately.

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