The European Union won’t require its member countries to ban Huawei from their wireless networks, despite the U.S.’s warning that the Chinese tech giant poses an intelligence threat. Cybersecurity expert Morgan Wright reacts to the EU’s decision.
A U.K. watchdog is raising concerns that the use of Huawei Technologies equipment in the country’s telecom network could pose long-term national security risks, according to a report published Thursday.
Huawei – one of the world’s largest telecommunications firms -- has faced international scrutiny over its close ties to the Chinese government. The Trump administration is seeking to persuade allies to block the use of the company’s equipment in pending fifth-generation wireless networks.
While some, like Australia, have implemented measures to ban Huawei, others -- including the U.K. and Germany -- are still weighing whether to take action. The new analysis from the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre’s Huawei Oversight Board, however, could renew calls for the government to take action.
“Even this limited assurance is possible only on the basis that…the defects in Huawei equipment are fairly well understood in the UK,” the report reads.
The U.S. recently banned federal agencies from using products from the company. Huawei is suing the government over the statute, passed as part of last year&apos;s defense spending authorization law.
The Trump administration also previously hit the firm with a slew of criminal charges related to the attempted theft of trade secrets and violations of sanctions against Iran.
Huawei executives have attempted to discredit the White House campaign, arguing it&apos;s over fear that the National Security Agency&apos;s information collection efforts would be hindered if more countries use the firm&apos;s equipment.