The Intelligence and Security Committee has published a new report

Jun 6, 2013 13:54 GMT  ·  By

Back in October 2012, following several US reports about Huawei representing a threat to national security, UK Cabinet Office representatives said they were not concerned about using equipment from the Chinese telecoms giant.

In the meantime, things have changed. According to a new report from the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), “Foreign Investment in the Critical National Infrastructure,” the ISC is concerned about the way Huawei entered the critical national infrastructure (CNI).

The report highlights that the telecoms firm BT signed a major contract with Huawei in 2005, but ministers were not consulted before the deal was finalized. In fact, they learned about it only a year after the contract was signed.

Huawei has established a Cyber Security Evaluation Center (the Cell) to show the UK government that they are transparent. However, the ISC notes that the Cell is funded entirely by Huawei and it’s under the company’s control.

“We questioned whether the staff, who are paid and employed by Huawei, are sufficiently independent of Huawei to provide the necessary level of assurance about the company’s activity,” the report reads.

On the other hand, unlike the US, the UK doesn’t discourage businesses from using Huawei equipment. However, the ICS does note that national security has been put at risk because the Chinese firm’s products haven’t been properly vetted before entering the critical national infrastructure.

“Whether the suspicions about Huawei are legitimate or unfounded, we consider it necessary to ascertain how the company came to be embedded in the heart of the UK’s CNI,” the ISC stated.

“The government’s duty to protect the safety and security of its citizens should not be compromised by fears of financial consequences, or lack of appropriate protocols. However, a lack of clarity around procedures, responsibility and powers means that national security issues have risked, and continue to risk, being overlooked,” the report reads.