State Dept. To Quarantine 16,000 Lenovos

In a move perhaps best described as "tax dollars at work," the State Department has decided some 16,000 Lenovo laptops it ordered are inappropriate for classified work.

In response to criticism from representative Frank Wolf (R-VA), the U.S. State Department has decided that some 16,000 laptop computers it purchased from Lenovo will not be used for classified work or connected to classfied networks within the State Department. Reportedly, 900 of the 16,000 systems were slated to be used in classified contexts.

Congressman Wolf criticized the purchase as a potential threat to U.S. national security. His rationale? About 28 percent of Lenovo is owned by a Chinese government agency, and Lenovo systems are manufactured in China. The rest of Lenovo is owned by IBM (13 percent) and other worldwide investors. Using the Lenovo systems for classified work, Wolf argued, could potentially give the Chinese government access to classified U.S. information.

“It is no secret that the United States is a principal target of Chinese intelligence services,” said Wolf in a statement. “On May 4, I wrote a letter to the Secretary of State expressing my concerns regarding the purchase of these new computers from Lenovo, the same company about which CFIUS (the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) had significant security concerns last year.”

Earlier this year, the U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission initiated an investigation of Lenovo over concerns Lenovo systems purchased for government use might harbor spyware or surveillance devices installed by Chinese intelligence agencies.

Nearly all U.S. PC manufacturers utilize components from China, or have systems manufactured or assembled within Taiwan or the People’s Republic of China.