On Friday, a pair of lawmakers called for the US Department of Commerce to investigate OnePlus over allegations that its devices transmit data to Chinese servers without user consent.
Reuters first reported the news late Friday afternoon. It’s a bipartisan effort, with Republican Rep. John Moolenaar (MI-02), Chair of the Select Committee on the CCP, joined by ranking Democratic member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08). Their committee claims to have seen recent documentation by what Reuters describes as a “commercial company” that suggest OnePlus devices send data to Chinese-hosted servers without user consent, though as is common with these sorts of announcements, there’s no actual data to back this up.
Both lawmakers are looking for the US Commerce Dept.’s Information and Communications Technology and Services (or ICTS) division to investigate OnePlus. Without the actual report in hand, it’s unclear exactly what data the committee believes is being transferred with “explicit user consent,” though last week’s report specifically highlights “potential transfers of sensitive personal information and screenshots.” That said, the Reuters story is very specific in using flexible language here, including phrases like “indicates” and “may potentially.”
Frustratingly, the public has very little information to go off of in terms of real risk or actual actions that can be taken. If there’s serious evidence that OnePlus devices have been covertly transferring data — including screenshots — to servers in China in a specifically malicious way, you’d think the government would warn OnePlus owners to stop using their devices. Instead, all we have to go off of are vague references to “recent analysis” by an unknown third-party and a late-Friday announcement requesting this investigation.
We’ve reached out to OnePlus and made attempts to contact both House members for comment on this story. Unfortunately, Rep. Krishnamoorthi’s inbox is full and “unable to accept messages,” and despite potentially enacting policies that could lead to OnePlus devices to be banned from sale in the US, his website’s contact page requires a nine-digit Illinois zip code to prove you live in his district. We’ve also reached out to the ICTS.
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