US secretly hiding trackers in AI chip shipments to catch illegal diversions to China: Report
It is unclear how often trackers are used or when they became part of semiconductor investigations. The US began restricting sales of advanced chips from Nvidia, AMD and others to China in 2022, and has also curbed exports to Russia.Multiple agencies may be involved in the practice, including the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI. The FBI and HSI declined to comment, while the Commerce Department did not respond.Manufacturers named in the report denied involvement. Dell said it was 'not aware of a US Government initiative to place trackers in its product shipments.' Nvidia stated: 'We don't install secret tracking devices in our products.' Super Micro said it does not disclose its 'security practices and policies' and declined to comment on tracking. AMD did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.China's foreign ministry said it was unaware of the matter. Beijing has previously criticised US chip export controls as attempts to suppress its growth, and last month summoned Nvidia to address concerns over potential 'backdoors' in its products, claims the company has denied.Trackers have been a concern among those involved in chip diversion. Two China-based resellers told Reuters they routinely inspect shipments to check for hidden devices. A recent US Justice Department case described one suspect warning another to carefully check Quanta servers containing Nvidia chips for trackers.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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News18
43 minutes ago
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Gilgit-Baltistan: A New Uprising In Pakistan's ‘Last Colony' Against Oppressive Rule
Last Updated: For decades, GB has sought autonomy, political representation, and development aligned with local needs and ambitions, but has faced growing neglect and exploitation from Pakistan A fresh wave of resistance against the Pakistani state's illegal occupation of the region is being witnessed in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The local traders and business community of GB have launched a movement to oppose trade and travel between Pakistan and China via the Khunjerab Pass. This latest protest is the outcome of the relentlessly exploitative economic and political conditions imposed on GB by the Pakistani state. The protest by the traders has come close on the heels of a mass movement by the local residents of GB against the controversial Land Reforms Act, 2025, passed on May 21. For the last four weeks, traders have been continuing with a sit-in at the Karakoram Highway, bringing the region to a standstill. They are demanding recognition of local interests by Islamabad as well as its accountability. To understand GB's tumultuous relationship with Islamabad, it is important to look at the history of this asymmetric and oppressive power dynamic, which continues to disenfranchise, marginalise, and politically erase the identity, aspirations, and future of the people of this region. According to the US-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Pakistan has treated GB more as a colony rather than as part of the federation. 'The region has long been regarded by Pakistan not as a cherished part of the federation, but as a distant and burdensome periphery. Successive governments have turned a blind eye to the fundamental needs of the humble inhabitants of Gilgit-Baltistan, relegating the region to an ad hoc governance framework administered from afar—governed not by participatory laws, but by decrees handed down from Islamabad," says a recent MEMRI report. The origins of this injustice lie in the 1949 Karachi Agreement. Under this 'agreement", the control of GB (then called Northern Areas) was transferred from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) to Islamabad without any representative from the region. Since then, Islamabad has directly ruled GB through the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs, using the draconian colonial-era Frontier Crimes Regulation. Its constitutional status remains in limbo as Pakistan has tried to use it to build another false narrative by linking it to the resolution of the Kashmir issue with India. But to deal with growing frustration among the local residents, it introduced limited self-governance reforms to the region, renaming it 'Gilgit and Baltistan' in 2009. However, this move was exposed as hollow; right from the beginning, the GB assembly was systematically populated by 'compliant figureheads or puppets, rather than leaders who dared to interpret their roles with independence and purpose," as emphasised in the MEMRI analysis. For decades, GB has sought autonomy, political representation, and development aligned with local needs and aspirations, but instead has faced growing neglect and exploitative policies from Pakistan. The Pakistani magazine Herald once described Gilgit-Baltistan as Pakistan's 'last colony", a phrase that aptly reflects Islamabad's governing attitude toward the region. Very recently, GB was engulfed in massive demonstrations against the forcibly passed Land Reforms Act, 2025. This legislation was opposed by the people, as it would enable land grabs by Punjabi landlords and the Pakistani military, displace the local population, and exploit natural resources. This law would also intensify military control. As GB is the only region under Pakistan's occupation that has a Shia and Ismaili majority, Islamabad has also undertaken a systematic campaign of altering the demography by opening up the region to outsiders. Now, fed up with increasing federal taxes and deliberate obstacles to local trade, GB traders—backed by a host of local political parties and religious groups—have sustained a resilient sit-in at Sost. This powerful show of solidarity and demand for justice compelled Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan and Governor Mehdi Shah to seek federal intervention, leading to the formation of a federal committee to make recommendations for the issue's resolution. The protestors' demands are simple: exemption from income, sales, and other federal taxes on commodities imported from China through the Khunjerab Pass—deemed illegal by traders considering GB's lack of constitutional status—and urgent customs clearance for 280 consignments stuck at Sost Dry Port under a one-time amnesty scheme. Ironically, while Gilgit-Baltistan is considered to be geographically very significant for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Islamabad's treatment of local traders sends a clear message that it is least bothered about the interests of the local population and is only interested in exploiting the strategic position and resources of the region. All routes connecting Pakistan to China, including the critical Karakoram Highway, pass through GB, which should ideally have brought more economic opportunities for the local population. However, in contrast, it has resulted in increased Chinese military presence. This reinforces the fact that Pakistan follows the template of exploiting the region while keeping the people underdeveloped. If the locals dare to express their aspirations, they are handled brutally by the Pakistani military and its death squads. Therefore, the traders' blockade in GB represents more than an economic conflict—it is the roar of a voice silenced for decades from a region long suffering under the thumb of Islamabad's colonial and oppressive policies. The writer is an author and columnist. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. tags : China Kashmir pakistan view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: August 16, 2025, 22:02 IST News opinion Global Watch | Gilgit-Baltistan: A New Uprising In Pakistan's 'Last Colony' Against Oppressive Rule Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. 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Time of India
an hour ago
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First Post
an hour ago
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Drama in Pakistan cricket continues as players reportedly face pay cut after ODI series loss in West Indies
The Pakistan cricket team has been facing a barrage of criticism after suffering their first ODI series defeat against West Indies in over three decades with a 202-run thrashing earlier this week. Senior members of the Pakistan cricket team including Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan had pressurised the PCB to include 3 per cent of their ICC revenue share in player contracts. Reuters The Pakistan cricket team has been facing a barrage of criticism after suffering their first ODI series loss against West Indies in 34 years, with Mohammad Rizwan's men capitulating to a 202-run defeat after getting bundled out for a lowly 92. Not only has the lopsided loss put seniors including 50-over captain Rizwan and Babar Azam in the spotlight, newly-appointed white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has also been targeted with some questioning his credentials. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Babar, Rizwan and others could lose part of their wages As if the criticism isn't enough, there's more trouble in store for Babar and Rizwan and others as they face a pay cut in the aftermath of Pakistan's poor run this year. The Men in Green had, after all, crashed out of the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year without a single win and winning just one out of three Tests this year. According to a report on Cricket Pakistan, the Mohsin Naqvi-led Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to remove the clause from the players' central contract which includes 3 per cent of the revenue that the board gets from the International Cricket Council. The senior players had pressurised the board to distribute 3 per cent of their earnings from the ICC among the players two years ago. And the manner in which the Pakistanis have struggled to make an impact across formats in recent months, it is likely that the board might remove the clause for good. Pakistan have been performing relatively better in the T20I format under Salman Agha's leadership, having won the 20-over leg of their tour of the Caribbean 2-1. Agha had been named 20-over skipper in March during the tour of New Zealand, with Pakistan winning nine and losing as many in the format since then. The spin-bowling all-rounder will be hoping to lead Pakistan to victory in the upcoming Asia Cup, which returns to the T20 format in the UAE next month, in order to boost his chances of being named captain across formats – replacing Shan Masood and Rizwan in Tests and ODIs respectively.
