The Spy Masters' Case Against Huawei Is Flimsy

The U.S. government's persistent dislike of Chinese smartphone makers Huawei and ZTE surfaced again this week at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, with six intelligence community chiefs testifying that they would advise Amercians not to buy these companies' products for security reasons. There's even a Republican-sponsored bill in Congress to prohibit the government from using any Huawei or ZTE equipment. Huawei's latest attempt to break through to the carrier-dominated U.S. market failed earlier this year as AT&T abruptly canceled a planned deal -- possibly after coming under political pressure.

U.S. consumers should treat these warnings more as politicking and thinly veiled protectionism rather than concern for the security of their communications. There are three reasons to be skeptical of the warnings.