The Anker Eufy beat-up is not based on fact. The media loves a good story, and many use the motto – ‘Never let the facts spoil a good story’.
Here are the Anker Eufy beat-up facts
Rep. John Moolenaar, the chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, wrote a letter to the US Secretary of Commerce, highlighting the implications of Chinese influence in the consumer electronics industry, particularly through companies like Anker Innovations.
He alleges that
- Anker receives [Chinese] government backing that distorts fair competition.
- Such grants give it the ability to offer unfair pricing that American and other non-subsidised companies cannot compete against.
- Highlighted Anker’s import practices and potential tariff evasion
- Its Solix brand is eligible for the US federal battery subsidies
- Its Eufy brand of security cameras has a documented history of significant security vulnerabilities.
- At worst, Anker poses a risk by potentially embedding foreign surveillance and destructive capabilities into household items.
What a crock of shit
I am not here to defend Anker, as I have not been here to defend many other Chinese companies that have been impugned under Government privilege. But I am here to debunk many of the allegations that were based on second and third-hand media reports from 2022 and 2023.
Fact: Chinese companies receive all sorts of incentives to assist them in research and development, gaining export markets and who-knows-what. It is no different to the allegations about Chinese EVs and China dumping them here at highly subsidised prices. Anything that helps the Australian consumer get things we don’t make at lower prices is good!
Fact: Chinese companies have a much larger labour and technical pool to draw on. For example, a security camera made in India, Vietnam or other low-cost nations will still be more expensive than the Chinese mega factories can produce. It is called ‘economies of scale’ and reflects the actual cost. Apple gets most of its products from China and complains that an American-made iPhone would be too expensive and never sell.
Fact: Anker is a global company with offices, staff, warehousing, service and support in several EU countries, the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, MEA, and India and sells via local distribution in over 100 countries. Stock is shipped all over the world, and some of it is reshipped to fill unforeseen demand. Moolenaar cites Origin Whitewash from SIG Global that has nothing to do with Anker. In fact, the article cited South Korea as a prime offender, marking goods made in China as South Korean. China has agreed to implement the China Goods Transhipment Monitoring System later in 2025. No one has broken any rules, at least not yet.
Fact: All approved solar batteries are eligible for Federal grants (as they are in Australia). The US and Australia do not have a viable solar battery manufacturer. Trump’s tariffs make Solix (and all Chinese batteries) more expensive anyway, so the subsidy is bringing the market back to reality.
Fact: In 2021, a vulnerability in Anker’s app/web portal, not its security cameras per se, allowed unencrypted video to be viewed in the Anker cloud. Anker closed the vulnerability in scant days. It implemented a bug bounty and had independent security audits. All Eufy cameras had new firmware to keep images on the camera (when using local storage or HomeBase). Interestingly, the Verge Journalist who wrote the story just tweeted that his 2023 story was cited by Moolenaar to raise the spectre of national security. Not happy at all because it did not mention this was a one-off issue, and there was no previous history.
We won’t address the ‘sky is falling’ – it is laughable that Anker or Eufy would embed foreign surveillance!
CyberShack’s view: Anker Eufy beat-up and cheap reporting
We know Anker/Eufy and have followed their emergence in Australia over the past few years. Yes, they were ‘very Chinese’ to start, but the Australian HQ is full of talented Aussies (of all races) trying their best to cement Anker, Solix, Eufy and other sub-brands in the hearts of all Aussies.
It is sold by reputable companies like Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Bing Lee, Bunnings, Mitre 10, and online marketplaces, all of which have done extensive supply chain due diligence and support all labour conventions.
We have analysed all the Anker, Eufy, Solix, SoundCore and other sub-brands’ privacy policies and terms of use, and they are benign – nothing to see here, folks.
We despise sensational, unsubstantiated so-called journalism that works on the premise, ‘throw enough mud and some sticks’.
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