14 DAY TRIAL // While several governments have recently accused Huawei of using its equipment to spy for China, the German authorities say they haven’t found any indication that this is indeed happening.
The country’s IT watchdog explains that after closely examining a series of Huawei products that are available not only in Germany but also in other markets across the world, it didn’t find any evidence that spying activities do take place.
"For such serious decisions like a ban, you need proof," the head of Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), Arne Schoenbohm, was quoted as saying by German newspaper Spiegel.
Huawei has come under fire lately over possible espionage in a series of countries, including in the United States, with local officials trying to reach out to allies in order to drop technology developed by the Chinese firm.
While no evidence has been found of any spying activity that might be based on Huawei’s products, several governments have followed the United States’ recommendation and started investigating the claims to determine whether the phones and network equipment built by the Chinese company pose any security threat.
Huawei willing to work with governments
Japan is one example, as the country has recently restricted Huawei from connecting to its 5G networks in an attempt to prevent any possible intention of espionage.
But even if the German government says it hasn’t found any solid indication that Huawei’s spying for China, local security experts emphasize the risk of this happening is extremely high. AFP talked with telecom security expert Ronja Kniep who warned that ignoring all spying concerns is wrong.
"Even if Huawei has no official relationship with the Chinese government, that doesn't mean Chinese services aren't using the company and its technology as vehicles for espionage,” he said.
The European Union itself has also started an investigation over the possible security risks caused by Huawei technology, and the company has already expressed its intention to fully cooperate with all authorities towards addressing such concerns.