Huawei and ZTE under suspicion; CIA, FBI and NSA warn authorities and the public against the companies

Smartphones are in high demand these days. That’s why there’s an ever-going competition in between the smartphone manufacturers. They are constantly bringing up the ideas through which they can strengthen their hold in the global market. Recently, CIA, FBI, and NSA have warned authorities and the public against some companies following some security issues. One of the companies is Huawei. The Chinese tech giant which has a firm hold in the global market has recently faced a setback. In fact, a series of setbacks. Let’s find out how. In 2012, the Congress warned federal authorities from using Huawei and ZTE phones. In January this year, AT&T stepped out from the partnership deal between these two. Recently, the intelligence agencies based in the US - CIA, FBI, and NSA have warned even the public from using the Huawei and ZTE phones. Well, we are not unknown about the rivalries between China and the US. The clash of ideology between these nations aroused from China being a communist/socialist and the US being the capitalist nation. This is a political issue but how does it affect on whether the Americans use a Chinese brand’s phone or not? According to FBI director Cris Wray, “It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information, and it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage." The American intelligence agencies are wary of the fact that the Chinese government might invade their national security and steal the data through their smartphone companies. That’s why they even warned the public from using products and services from these companies. Maybe security is not just the issue, the competition of market is a problem as well. As these are the products of a nation whose economic growth is rapid.

What do Huawei and ZTE have to say about this issue?

While this much is being said and done against these companies, they come up for their defense. Both of the companies have their own say regarding this issue. "We operate in 170 countries where there is trust with governments and customers. We pose no greater cybersecurity risk than other vendors," Huawei said. "As a publicly traded company, we are committed to adhering to all applicable laws and regulations of the United States, work with carriers to pass strict testing protocols, and adhere to the highest business standards," said ZTE. To which ZTE had once said, the company’s chipsets incorporated in their phones and devices are manufactured in the US itself. That’s quite a point. Huawei has its stronghold in middle and eastern European nations, which out-numbers Apple in some parts. Huawei had addressed the last minute scraped deal with AT&T at CES 2018 this year by stating it as a ‘big loss’ to the company. According to the Verge, “US lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would ban government employees from using Huawei and ZTE phones altogether.” The strong ties between these Chinese smartphones and networks giants are also being considered as one of the important reasons why they are being looked at with suspicion. Not even technology is untouched by the rivalry among nations and their clash in ideology is reflecting on the global market as well. Will these companies be able to make their space in the American market by negotiating and convincing the US agencies? Or will they be restricted as per the news? While technology is considered to be a bridge towards better relationships between the nations, seems like this will further make the rivalry grow stronger.