If we set aside geopolitics and purely consider whether tightening the security of private networks is sensible whatsoever: are routers a substantially bigger threat than client devices such as the various IoT knickknacks (smart TVs, smart switches/outlets, smart appliances, etc.)? Controlling the NAT/firewall features is handy for opening ports and working around VLAN segmentation, but that isn't required for many scenarios; a compromised client device can often snoop on the rest of the network and exfiltrate what it discovers just fine even with an uncompromised router.
If I was more paranoid, I'd start thinking the ban is to make it easier to spy on us by limiting our choices to a few domestic vendors who can be coerced by regulatory capture and "for the kids" political rhetoric.
Sooner or later, some idiot lawmaker/opportunist is going to insist on 1) age checks to connect to a router and 2) content filters for routers, both of which can be used to score cheap political points.
I'd say it's the old "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity". Admittedly the current administration has a more than ample supply of both, but I think they do have more stupidity than malice.
Having said that, once someone explains to them in words of one syllable that they've just banned the sale of all of the devices that make the Internet go for the entire electoral base, they'll TACO so fast it'll make your head spin.
the ban covers all foreign-made consumer routers but practically every router is manufactured abroad, even the ones sold by American companies. the only domestic exception is Starlink, iirc
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If they did, they'd be untouchable (since the federal government could buy the data from brokers).
Having said that, once someone explains to them in words of one syllable that they've just banned the sale of all of the devices that make the Internet go for the entire electoral base, they'll TACO so fast it'll make your head spin.
Love seeing pop up like it’s new or something.
> country which once exploited an attack vector is now trying to protect itself on that vector
I have no doubt that American efforts at security on this front are inadaquate, incompetent, etc. But hypocritical? Nah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4COrX9YHcU
> Country that put backdoors into Cisco routers to spy on world bans foreign routers
Says the tech rag hailing from the 5-eyes nation known as the UK...