Ask HN: Concern over Chinese Software? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Concern over Chinese Software?

10 pointsralusek2 comments

I have an escalating concern as it relates to using Chinese software, but it's becoming increasingly unavoidable. My concerns are rooted in 3 principal reasons, among others:

- Within the last 5 years, our governments (USA/CCP) have begun openly referring to one another as adversaries, even enemies.

- China functionally plays a completely different game than the rest of the world. Every Chinese company is subject to extensive pressure and tie-ins with CCP demands/objectives

- Their software is often quite invasive

As a Western consumer, it's becoming very difficult to avoid. Insta360 mobile app, Insta360 studio desktop app, DJI drone mobile app, Bambu labs 3d Printers (with insistence on network connection). These products are best in class with no reasonable alternatives.

These applications are often very aggressive in their permissions (DJI app was also removed from Google App Store, and now needs to be downloaded off-store). They're all capable of OTA arbitrary updates, and are often sending data. Bambu printers send encrypted data back in frequent intervals.

Not only is my concern for the current situation, but if tensions were to escalate between China and the west, is it not a reasonable expectation that OTA updates could be pushed that would potentially cause serious issues?

Are my concerns justified? What can be done to avoid/mitigate risks? I use things like VMs and old devices when possible. The more the west loses out on being able to actually make quality things at reasonable prices, however, I only see this getting harder.

Your concerns are reasonable and it could be possible that one day in the future the apps stops working and with it the devices. It would then take some time until people crack the apps and offer working versions, which could be done today already but as long as they work and receive updates its not really worth it.

Just avoid them? How badly do you really need a best in class drone, 360 camera, or printer? Would second best suffice?

People in various regimes have long lived under sanctions of various sorts where foreign goods weren't readily available. It's possible to just choose to sacrifice some utility or entertainment if you're concerned about security.

I share your concerns too, and I think some government agencies prefer not to use Lenovo or DJI for the same reasons. But at the end of the day, American consumer goods manufacturing is way behind China now, so either you choose inferior products at higher prices or you bite the bullet like anyone else and just join the flock.

China is already involved in so much of US day to day life, between Lenovo, TikTok, Tencent, Hollywood, DJI, Anker, Epic Games, Midea, university students, scientists, etc. It's a bit too late to really do anything about it unless you want another Japanese internment camp style purge.

In the age of global capitalism, any company you like and trust now can easily be bought up by a Chinese conglomerate whenever it's weak and stocks are down. Or they often go for partial ownership, especially in our entertainment brands (movies and games) while exercising limited control. They're already everywhere and most US consumers are probably using something from a big Chinese firm without knowing it.

It's not the end of the world, IMO. China is an adversary, sure, but they have limited force projection abilities. It's really only Taiwan that's at stake, but it's been like that for decades. While we were busy warmongering, they built up their manufacturing and research and education the hard way. If we really want to reclaim some of that, we need to reinvest domestically in our people and skills and facilities, not just try to keep them out. Our brand of capitalism is too greedy for that to work.

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