Well, the US now has yet another reported case of espionage-related misdeeds it can point to as additional proof of why the Huawei ban should remain in place.
The Chinese consumer electronics giant is under scrutiny again, this time over a Wall Street Journal report that found some of its employees helped governments in African keep tabs on political opposition using cell data to spy on their movements. Reportedly, those Huawei technicians also helped the governments track social media accounts and intercept encrypted communications.
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This kind of finding bolsters the case the US has been making against the company, which is that the company is so tight with Chinas central government that it cant be permitted to gain a foothold here lest that open the door to Chinese spying. Not that the Huawei ban seemed poised to be lifted anytime soon, which has caused myriad headaches for the companys smartphone ambitions and especially for some of its high-profile upcoming handset launches.
The US also had plenty of ammunition already to support its stance, which has included the Dept. of Justice filing a series of criminal charges in January that alleges Huaweis CFO committed wire fraud, among other things. The ban is still in place, which has led Huawei to begin changing up its operation to put more of its fate in its own hands such as by relying less on overseas handset sales and working on its own mobile operating system.
Image Source: Photo by Vincent Yu/AP/Shutterstock
Huaweis top brass back in China doesnt seem to have been aware of what was going on in Africa, according to the WSJ which also didnt find evidence of Chinese government-backed spying on the continent. Nor were the activities that took place tied to features of Huawei phones specific to those devices.
As far as what did reportedly occur, the report detailed two separate cases in Uganda and Zambia. As part of the former, Huawei technicians holed up in Ugandas police headquarters to use Israeli-made spyware to break into encrypted messages belonging to a rapper and activist, Bobi Wine. Those Huawei technicians did so, per the WSJ, after a Ugandan cyber team asked for the help.
In Zambia, the report continues, Huawei technicians helped government officials access phones and Facebook pages of opposition bloggers for a site thats criticized President Edgar Lungu. That led to those bloggers arrests.
In response to this news, Huawei hit back forcefully, telling the newspaper its never been engaged in hacking activities.
Huawei rejects completely these unfounded and inaccurate allegations against our business operations, the spokesperson told the Journal. Our internal investigation shows clearly that Huawei and its employees have not been engaged in any of the activities alleged. We have neither the contracts nor the capabilities to do so.
https://bgr.com/2019/08/14/huawei-sp...ion-in-africa/
The Chinese consumer electronics giant is under scrutiny again, this time over a Wall Street Journal report that found some of its employees helped governments in African keep tabs on political opposition using cell data to spy on their movements. Reportedly, those Huawei technicians also helped the governments track social media accounts and intercept encrypted communications.
DON'T MISS
Amazons blowing out a convertible Lenovo laptop with all-day battery life for $240, today only
This kind of finding bolsters the case the US has been making against the company, which is that the company is so tight with Chinas central government that it cant be permitted to gain a foothold here lest that open the door to Chinese spying. Not that the Huawei ban seemed poised to be lifted anytime soon, which has caused myriad headaches for the companys smartphone ambitions and especially for some of its high-profile upcoming handset launches.
The US also had plenty of ammunition already to support its stance, which has included the Dept. of Justice filing a series of criminal charges in January that alleges Huaweis CFO committed wire fraud, among other things. The ban is still in place, which has led Huawei to begin changing up its operation to put more of its fate in its own hands such as by relying less on overseas handset sales and working on its own mobile operating system.
Image Source: Photo by Vincent Yu/AP/Shutterstock
Huaweis top brass back in China doesnt seem to have been aware of what was going on in Africa, according to the WSJ which also didnt find evidence of Chinese government-backed spying on the continent. Nor were the activities that took place tied to features of Huawei phones specific to those devices.
As far as what did reportedly occur, the report detailed two separate cases in Uganda and Zambia. As part of the former, Huawei technicians holed up in Ugandas police headquarters to use Israeli-made spyware to break into encrypted messages belonging to a rapper and activist, Bobi Wine. Those Huawei technicians did so, per the WSJ, after a Ugandan cyber team asked for the help.
In Zambia, the report continues, Huawei technicians helped government officials access phones and Facebook pages of opposition bloggers for a site thats criticized President Edgar Lungu. That led to those bloggers arrests.
In response to this news, Huawei hit back forcefully, telling the newspaper its never been engaged in hacking activities.
Huawei rejects completely these unfounded and inaccurate allegations against our business operations, the spokesperson told the Journal. Our internal investigation shows clearly that Huawei and its employees have not been engaged in any of the activities alleged. We have neither the contracts nor the capabilities to do so.
https://bgr.com/2019/08/14/huawei-sp...ion-in-africa/
