US officials are split on whether to ban the Honor brand of smartphones and tablets, a move that could have devastating consequences.
Honor was one of Huawei’s brands, and was impacted by sanctions imposed by the US, as well as other countries. Huawei was accused of having extremely close ties with Beijing, representing a security risk as intelligence agencies around the world feared Beijing could use Huawei as a conduit for spying.
Ultimately, Huawei sold off the Honor brand as sanctions impacted the company’s ability to produce smartphones. A consortium of Chinese companies bought the brand, leaving questions about if the change of ownership was enough to warrant a different approach.
According to The Washington Post, US security agencies are divided on whether to ban the Honor brand. The Pentagon and Energy Department were in favor of blacklisting Honor, while the Commerce Department and State Department were opposed.
Given the impact such measures had on Huawei, should Honor find itself on the US blacklist, it’s a safe bet it would be disastrous — just as it was for Huawei.