Best Buy Drops Huawei Products Due To Security Concerns

First, it was major U.S. carriers refusing to carry its devices, now it’s Best Buy reportedly dropping its devices; it seems Huawei really isn’t meant to enter the American market right now. At least, not with the heightened scrutiny that the company is being subjected to, with government concerns about Chinese spying on U.S. citizens using the devices.

As the largest consumer electronics store in the U.S., Best Buy was Huawei’s largest point of entry into the American market. Losing it is a huge blow that could set the ambitions of the world’s second-largest electronics manufacturer by a lot. This information comes from sources with knowledge on the matter, Reuters reports.

The move will occur slowly over the coming weeks, with Best Buy gradually ridding its shelves of devices from the controversial manufacturer. It’s well-known that Huawei has been trying to break into the U.S. market for years. The company is already dominating the Asia markets and is making some headway in Europe.

As long as the U.S. government suspects ill intentions from its Chinese counterpart, particularly with regards to suspicions of espionage, however, this ambition will be difficult to fulfill. Of course, it’s not as if Huawei has given no reason for anyone to suspect it.

The company is known for giving the Chinese government considerable access to its customer database, thus allowing for massive surveillance. This is part of China’s attempt to control what information flows into the country and to identify potential radicals.

When CNET reached out to Best Buy to confirm if these reports are true, the retail chain’s spokesperson declined to provide anything concrete. The same went with Huawei.

"We don't comment on specific contracts with vendors, and we make decisions to change what we sell for a variety of reasons," a Best Buy spokesperson told the publication.