Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is prohibiting cheap USB-C cables which do not follow standard criteria of construction and which could potentially harm devices as reported by Benson Leung, the senior software engineer at Google.
The new security measure is part of the “Prohibited listings” for electronics, at Amazon.com, a company owned by Jeff Bezos. The instructions say that any USB-C (or USB Type-C) cable or adapter product that does not meet standard specifications issued by “USB Implementers Forum Inc” will be removed from Amazon.
In other words, cable manufacturers that sell cheap or intentionally deceptive products with low-quality standards, will be officially banned from Amazon, explains Benson Leung. However, customers still need to keep an eye on bad products they find on Amazon and other shops, he recommends.
It appears that many customers have been affected by low-quality USB-C cables, according to the comments of the Leung’s post. The Canada site page has also been updated and it is expected that the new security measure will be applied in all Amazon sites in the coming weeks.
“Good news for users can access and buy products from Amazon, the rest of the world still crying. Fake USB-C manufacturers still out there and can sell easily to black market and to south-east Asia easily without proper inspection.” Said M.K Frenky in a Leung’s post.
Benson Leung: The prohibited electronics section is not without controversy
Even when banning defective USB-C cables from Amazon would benefit users, it could be seen as an anti-competitive movement. According to Leung, Amazon is not free of controversy.
The same list of prohibited items is currently banning streaming media players from Apple and Google, which are Amazon’s main competitors with devices like the Apple TV, the Chromecast and the Nexus Player.
Are cables really important? Yes!, Leung has a great example
The massive usage of USB-C ports began in 2015, when Apple released its new MacBook computer than includes a single USB-C port, for charging the device and connecting external drives. As an advantage, this new ports are reversible and can be used by several devices such as laptops and smartphones like the LG’s flagship, G5.
Like all tech products, not all cables are built with the same quality standards. It appears that some USB-C cables are not wired in an optimum way, as a result, they could potentially harm electronic gadgets.
Early February, Leung said in a blog post that one cheap cable had managed to destroy his test equipment, a $1499 Pixel 2 Chromebook, adding that he conducted an analysis of the failure and described it as a “bad mistake” of the manufacturer.
Source: Benson Leung