OnePlus is facing data privacy allegations in the U.S.
OnePlus now joins the list of Chinese companies in the United States with national security and data privacy issues.
Another day, and another Chinese tech company is facing allegations about data privacy. This time, it's OnePlus in the spotlight.
A bipartisan pair of U.S. lawmakers, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), has called on the Commerce Department to investigate whether OnePlus phones are quietly sending personal data to Chinese servers without user consent.
The allegations, first reported by Reuters, aren’t based on public data or a government report but rather on claims from a "commercial company." According to the lawmakers, this unnamed firm documented “potential transfers of sensitive personal information and screenshots.” But as of now, no hard evidence has been shared with the public, and even the language, “potential transfers,” suggests uncertainty.
It’s a familiar pattern. OnePlus, like TikTok and Huawei before it, is a Chinese-owned company. That fact alone often raises red flags in U.S. policy circles, especially when it comes to national security and data privacy. With TikTok, the concern was influence and surveillance via algorithmic content; with Huawei, it was the fear of backdoors in telecom infrastructure. OnePlus now joins that list, although the claims are still murky.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
What’s notable is the lack of any formal consumer guidance from the government. If these allegations pose real risks, why hasn’t there been a public advisory or warning to stop using OnePlus devices? Instead, users are left navigating vague concerns and waiting for clarity that may never arrive.
That said, this isn’t just about OnePlus. It’s about the broader tension between national security and global tech. Companies like Meta and Google collect mountains of user data too, but their American ownership gives them a different level of scrutiny, or perhaps, a different benefit of the doubt.
Whether this investigation goes anywhere remains to be seen. But it signals one thing clearly: the U.S. remains deeply uneasy about foreign tech firms, particularly those with links to the Communist party in China. And if history is any guide, OnePlus could soon find itself in even hotter water, regardless of what the evidence eventually shows.
