A trouble could be on the horizon for OnePlus in the US. According to Reuters, two lawmakers have asked the Commerce Department to investigate OnePlus over security concerns.
OnePlus is in the spotlight in the US, as lawmakers are demanding a security probe of the company
The two lawmakers come from both the Republican and Democratic sides of the coin. One is John Moolenaar, a Republican who chairs a House of Representatives committee on China. The other is the panel’s top Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi.
The two lawmakers have said that a recent analysis by an unnamed commercial company, which has been provided to the committee, indicates that OnePlus’ devices could potentially collect and transmit extensive user data. That data could include sensitive personal information to servers under Chinese jurisdiction.
Reuters asked for both the US Commerce Department and OnePlus for a comment, but it was not provided, at least not from the get-go. Krishnamoorthi also added that OnePlus sells devices for use on two US wireless networks.
OnePlus sells phones in the US, but not directly via carriers
Just to be clear, OnePlus phones are being sold via Amazon and Best Buy to US consumers, and they operate on both Verizon and T-Mobile networks. Not a single carrier sells OnePlus devices directly at this point.
The lawmakers want the department to task its Information and Communications Technology and Services program to investigate OnePlus phones. They want it to determine user data types collected by OnePlus devices without explicit user consent, “including potential transfers of sensitive personal information and screenshots.”
If things go south for OnePlus in this process, it could signal considerable trouble for the company. The Federal Communications Commission, back in November 2022, banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE, among others. They could really make things difficult for OnePlus in the US and beyond.
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