14 DAY TRIAL // Chinese phone maker Huawei is very committed to proving the world it’s not spying for China and has thus prepared $2 billion for cybersecurity investments over the next 5 years.
The company wants to upgrade its lab facilities and hire new security experts, according to a report from Reuters, as it’s trying to address concerns that its equipment might be used to collect information that’s then shared with the Beijing government.
Huawei officials say that despite media reports and public concerns expressed by several countries, no evidence has been found that its products can pose a national security threat to some states.
“Locking out competitors from a playing field cannot make yourself better. We think any concerns or allegations on security at Huawei should be based on factual evidence,” rotating chairman Ken Hu was quoted as saying. “Without factual evidence we don’t accept and we oppose those allegations.”
No evidence of cyberespionage
Earlier this week, Germany said it hadn’t found any evidence that Huawei’s equipment sold on the local market or elsewhere is involved in cyberespionage. The Czech Republic, on the other hand, warned that using Huawei products is considered a security risk and recommended against equipment manufactured by the Chinese company.
“The security community’s findings on the activities of these companies in the Czech Republic and around the world, which are available to NCISA, raise reasonable concerns about the existence of potential risks in using the technical or program tools they provide to their customers in order to support the interests of the PRC,” the Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NCISA) said.
At the same time, Huawei says that neither Japan nor France banned its equipment, despite media reports indicating that both governments decided to give up on its products.
The United States is pressuring partners and allies to ban Huawei products, and the European Union is also said to be investigating whether the Chinese equipment indeed poses a security threat.