Huawei is once again in the crosshairs of the United States. The U.S. government claims to have discovered backdoors (or backdoors) in 4G network equipment supplied by the Chinese group since 2009. These backdoors would allow the firm, as well as the Chinese government, to spy on Internet users.
U.S. intelligence agencies say Huawei has already used backdoors placed in its network equipment to collect sensitive data,our Wall Street Journal reports. Initially, access to these backdoors is only reserved for law enforcement under specific conditions, the media notes. Huawei, like all OEMs, is forced by law to slide backdoors to the authorities. Legally, however, an OEM is not allowed to have access to it.
"We have evidence that Huawei is secretly capable of accessing sensitive and personal information in the network infrastructure it manages and sells around the world," said Robert O'Brien, U.S. National Security Adviser. The backdoors also allegedly allowed China's intelligence services to seize confidential information. Accused of colluding with Beijing, Huawei was blacklisted in May 2019. Since then, the manufacturer has been banned from the U.S. market and cannot use technology from the United States.
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The United States provided evidence to the United Kingdom and Germany
U.S. intelligence agencies say they passed on evidence of Huawei's abuses to Germany and the UK in late 2019. In recent months, Washington has been trying to convince allied countries to exclude Huawei from the deployment of 5G. Despite pressure from the Trump administration, the UK has authorized Huawei's 5G equipment on its territory. However, restrictions have been put in place. Huawei will be confined to the least critical equipment in the network, and its infrastructure will not be able to account for more than 35% of the 5G network.
For its part, Germany recently confirmed that it had received"clear and direct evidence" against Huawei. The documents, relayed by a German media outlet, would prove that"Huawei has cooperated in a proven manner with the Chinese security authorities". For now, Berlin has not yet decided on the fate of Huawei. A compromise is currently on the negotiating table. It aims to intensify surveillance on the chinoi equipment manufacturerwhile allowing the firm to actively participate in the deployment of 5G. We'll tell you more about it as soon as possible. In the meantime, don't hesitate to give your opinion in the comments below.
Source: The Wall Street Journal