Huawei's Chinese spying threatens US diplomacy abroad

For months, US officials have warned the Chinese telecommunications giant to be forced by their government and its 5G developing network to spy on the inhabitants of the countries where its technology is used.

But the issue has resulted in more than just a spying story – and questioning Washington's relations with its European partners. On Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the United States would not be able to partner or share critical intelligence information that would allow countries to allow Huawei Technologies to function.

"That it is classic economic espionage, theft of intellectual property or espionage on behalf of a government, the global reach and technological scope of Huawei in are easily a risk to the security of US interests, "said Erik Rasmussen, head of public cybersecurity and risk management solutions. The accounting firm Grobstein Teeple told Fox News. "Given the size of the company, it is difficult to quickly and quickly track espionage, with or without the knowledge of Huawei, but the Chinese government's direct influence on business operations is undeniable."

US authorities have expressed growing concern that the telecommunications conglomerate could – because of China's 2017 legislation allowing the government to monitor people under the pretext of national security – undertake "undetected spying" on users.

ANNUAL A RALLY A HOT FOR SPIES, A LOT OF OUR ADVERSARIES

The 2017 legislation obliges all Chinese companies to comply with government information, if any, which means that if Huawei is asked to do so and refuses to do so, they could violate their own national security laws.

The issue not only provoked a schism in relations between the United States and Canada – who expressed their frustration at having absorbed the Chinese government's retaliation for arresting the financial director of Meng Wanzhou company as a result of an extradition request from the United States – but it also threatened to forge alliances with Europe.

Germany this week made the preliminary decision to continue allowing Huawei to participate in the development of its high-speed Internet infrastructure after its own investigation revealed no sufficient evidence that its equipment could be used to spy on. Britain is currently reviewing the products of the technology giant and is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.

Over the past year, the Trump team has intensified pressure on its European allies to radically or completely refute Huawei's intervention in the development of 5G infrastructure and its presence on existing networks. While Huawei was mainly banned in the United States, its presence in Europe is strong.

"In addition to Apple and Samsung, Huawei is the largest mobile technology company in the world in terms of market share, so if the company is compromised from the inside, the risk is undeniable," said Rasmussen. . "Given the historical alliances between the United States and many European countries where Huawei technology is common, it is in the interest to follow that accordingly and share information when it is prudent. The UK and Germany will naturally weigh the costs and benefits of a risky technology in their country. "

PENTAGON TOTAL IN CHINA AND RUSSIA COMPETITION IN THE NEW AI STRATEGY

However, President Huawei and former Chinese army engineer Ren Zhengfei – whose daughter Wanzhou has been held for nearly three years by Canadian authorities – continues to deny that the company is helping the Chinese government to collect intelligence through his means. "Even if Chinese law requires it, we would reject it firmly," Zhengfei said in an interview with CBS.

The Chinese government has also consistently and firmly refuted US accusations that they have the will or ability to misuse personal data and information.

Experts and analysts are far from convinced.

"If the electronic equipment used in the telecommunications infrastructure was compromised – for example, they had hidden doors that allowed access to specific access codes – it would allow Chinese intelligence to access Western telecommunication networks. , to "sniff" and listen to all the information such as data and voice passing through this equipment, "said J. Eduardo Campos, Chief Information Security Specialist and Founder of Embedded-Knowledge Inc. " Huawei vehemently denies, but given the history of piracy sponsored by the state by the Chinese government, it makes anyone suspicious. In addition, Chinese technology companies could, in theory, be forced by the Chinese government to change their technology for spying purposes. And we would never know it.

According to Campos, 5G technology – the next version of mobile network technology – could potentially help cities become smarter, improving traffic management, citizen services, and access to public information from Mobile devices. Therefore, it will allow many types of advanced applications, such as autonomous cars and remote-controlled devices.

"They will be able to send and receive large amounts of data faster than is currently possible. One way of looking at a potential threat is that increased reliance on mobile technologies means that its disruption would have serious consequences, both in terms of the country's security and economy, "he said. "Imagine that a failure, because of remote hacking by a foreign power, can lead to the death of patients, the accident of autonomous cars or even simply stopping planes on the ground due to massive breakdowns of system. This poses real risks for national security. The US government has every right to repress this situation and at least require additional measures to protect the infrastructure against companies that operate too close to foreign powers not aligned with the US, such as technologies Huawei. "

GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, the White House has urged western technology companies to familiarize themselves with their Chinese counterparts in mastering the modal 5G.

"The Trump Administration is in the difficult position of balancing free market principles with national cyber security. The President and his advisors are in charge of regulatory oversight of the implementation of 5G and understand that this new technology offers revolutionary capabilities in terms of innovation and economic growth, "added Theresa Payton, former director of information to the White House led by George W. Bush. CEO of Fortalice Solutions, a security consulting firm. "But the key is to strike a balance between a successful deployment of 5G that drives economic growth and secure and secure deployment that does not give bad actors and nation states unjustified access to private or sensitive information."