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Israel's pager attack in Lebanon will blow back: Western tech can't be trusted anymore (youtu.be)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

What surprised me is how many western companies were colluding on the pager attack. Shell companies but nonetheless spanning over multiple countries. And it does not look like they prosecuting Israel for this so they all support it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Indeed, it's clear that this is a pretty widespread problem. It's also important to note that there is a global treaty came into force which “prohibited in all circumstances to use booby-traps or other devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects that are specifically designed and constructed to contain explosive material”. So it's clear that what the west has been doing goes directly against international law.

https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jul/31/2003271432/-1/-1/0/DOD-LAW-OF-WAR-MANUAL-JUNE-2015-UPDATED-JULY%202023.PDF

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Wasn't this eastern tech? It was a HK company

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

The HK company's ~~branding~~design/branding was licensed to a manufacturer nominally based in Europe.

Edit: many sources, but here's one: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trail-mystery-woman-whose-company-licensed-exploding-pagers-2024-09-20/

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That manufacturer didn't do the attack, though. It was Israel, which is located in the middle EAST

I see three actors and one victim in this story. All but one are in the East.

[+] [email protected] -7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Uh…no?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Uh yeah, nobody outside the west will trust tech from western companies that are now known to be compromised.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just from outside you say?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I'm sure people in the west will be concerned as well, but not like they get a choice seeing how western regimes already ban non western tech. For example, good luck buying a Huawei phone in US or Canada.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think the ramifications of what Israel did will go far far beyond fear in non west countries. We entered the stage when you can't trust your device anymore to not explode when some state (or non-state) actor would deem you disposable. Everybody should be concerned when they receive a phone call. If nothing else, it should change the way we fly - now security will annoy you with prohibiting bringing even water on airplane. What now? We should travel without any electronic device? Heck, even China didn't go that far (west is banning their devices mostly for economic purposes even though they mimic them as 'security').

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago

For sure the ramifications of these are huge, and there's a global treaty against doing these things for a reason. I do think that beyond initial panic, the long term ramifications will be that countries will increasingly focus on building domestic supply chains. We're also seeing geopolitical blocs forming now around G7 and BRICS. This is another line of decoupling of the global economy. Countries within each bloc will have more trust in each other, while they will shun products from the outside.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

For example, good luck buying a Huawei phone in US or Canada.

You cannt buy it retail but nobody is stopping an individual from buying one online to use within the us.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How are you going to use in the US without access to US based apps that everybody else uses. The reason Huawei ended up having to make HarmonyOS was that it got cut off from using Android and Google store. A phone is a communication device first and foremost. That means you need to be able to plug into the existing ecosystem to use it meaningfully. The US made sure that even if you could get your hands on one, it'll just be a nice paperweight.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I use a phone without all that shit but valid point as this would limit product to power users and that's where I saw people using it tbh