I don't get why everyone is so scared of Chinese phones when every brand has huge privacy and tracking issues. As a European, I would rather not be tracked by anyone, also not European companies, let alone foreign ones from either the west or the east.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

Oh, no, I'm not saying Chinese tracking is good, I'm saying I don't understand why this comes up every time with Chinese phones but not with other brands. I always root the phone and remove tracking (there is always loads and loads).

I think the GP is being sarcastic (i.e. making the same point you're making)

You can probably install Lineage OS on them (if not right now, some time in the future).

On the other hand, I'm not sure if the Chinese government is a bigger threat to foreign individuals than the US government. It looks like China is mostly focused on industrial espionage while the US often mix an unpredictable amount of ideology in their actions.

Is there an option for "western" phones?

Apple? They're pretty gungho about not handing over private keys and such to the feds.

Yes but you are stuck in their walled garden.

That doesn't necessarily mean they don't, though.

They give it like everyone else.

Is there evidence of this happening ?

Did you see the Us section of their transparency report?

Select Your Snarfer

[Ok] [Ok]

Does it really matter? If you are in China, sure, but if you are a non-Chinese citizen you are better off having someone else than your local version of NSA harvest your data. It is not like some other nations police will knock down your door or put you on a watch-list that gets you anal probed at the local airport.

I would worry a lot more about NSA, Apple, Google and Facebook (if you are American at least) than Huawei.

Sadly, 'your local NSA' is probably working with other nations' NSA. It has been already mentioned before in the leaked documents that governments use other nations' intelligence agencies to spy on their own people 'legally'.

They are not working with Chinas 'NSA' that's for damn sure.

> It has been already mentioned before in the leaked documents that governments use other nations' intelligence agencies to spy on their own people 'legally'.

No, it hasn't. No leaked document says that. Instead, there is a well known understanding for the opposite. https://www.lawfareblog.com/i-spy-you-spy-we-all-spy