Huawei is a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics manufacturer and currently it is dealing with some controversies in terms of privacy and security issues. These concern have resulted into ban and restriction in several countries and this has raised an alarm on the company’s practice alongside occupying high grounds on the lives of its users, particularly the privacy.
The main concern was due to its alleged use of its equipment through the Chinese government for spying purposes. The United States has been most aggressive in making such allegations and accusing Huawei of being neck-deep with the Chinese government hence poses a security hazard. Therefore, the U.S. government has restricted the Huawei company from being part of the 5G network infrastructure in the U.S. and in addition, have urged their partners to do the same as well.
Another factor that will raise concerns of the privacy issue is that Huawei will be compelled to obey the Chinese laws that may require him to facilitate intelligence collection. The National Intelligence Law of China of 2017 enshrines the idea that companies are obliged to help the government in question in terms of national security and the Internet’s risks and concerns that Huawei devices could become instruments of spying.
In response, Huawei has been swift to dismiss such claims, stressing on its autonomy andlineage that it is a champion of consumer privacy. Currently, the company has been opening its doors to third-party auditors and embracing transparency in order to show that it is indeed producing quality products that operate in a clean environment. Therefore, the level of hope and skepticism has not decreased though measured attempts have been made, and at the moment, there is still high level of skepticism primarily expressed in the countries of the West.
Moreover, their engagement in infrastructure projects in the developing nations has stirred concerns on data control sovereignty and pressure for theChinese influence.
In conclusion, it is possible to notice that Huawei experienced several threats to its privacy in various forms related to geopolitical risks, legislation of the specific country/ies, as well as an alleged connection to the Chinese authorities. Still, the exposure sheds light on the real struggle of generating trust and restoring its availability to the global technology industry especially Huawei.
