The Controversy Surrounding Huawei and its Alleged Surveillance
Huawei, the Chinese multinational tech giant, has been under scrutiny in the United States for years over concerns about the company’s networking gear and devices’ potential to contain backdoors that spy on companies and consumers and send data back to Beijing. The United States government labeled Huawei as a national security threat, and the company’s ties with the Communist Chinese government raised suspicions as well. However, Huawei has always denied these allegations.
In 2017, Huawei was ordered to pay T-Mobile $4.8 million in a civil case when Huawei employees stole pieces of a robot named Tappy, which was being used to test smartphones, during a visit to the carrier in 2014. This was one of the few cases where Huawei faced repercussions for its actions. Huawei’s success in 2019, which saw the manufacturer come close to topping Samsung and Apple as the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, made several people wonder why the U.S. government was making life difficult for Huawei.
Did Huawei Track Visitors in the MWC Exhibition Using its Security Badges?
In 2023, Huawei attracted controversy during the MWC (Mobile World Congress) exhibition in Barcelona. According to a report published on LightReading, it was rumored that Huawei would introduce its next flagship “P60” series at the event, but that didn’t happen. However, some MWC visitors who obtained Huawei security badges to access the company’s booth failed to return them when leaving the exhibit. Curious visitors took apart the small plastic container that was part of the badge and found something that looked suspiciously like a tracking device designed to follow one’s movements within a 70-meter radius.
Huawei uses RFID and Bluetooth technology to collect real-time location information, the swipe time of the Huawei Card at the entrance of the Huawei exhibition area, and the residence time information of the Huawei cardholders. The company’s disclaimer says that such information would be collected and processed only for the purpose of analyzing the overall interests of invitees in their products to enhance their service quality. Huawei also claims it will protect this information as per their privacy policy.
A Huawei spokesperson denied these accusations, stating that Huawei pass was only used within the booth and returned when visitors left the exhibit, and there was no need to track someone’s location. However, many visitors who visited Huawei’s booth expressed their unhappiness towards the company, which is regularly accused of planting backdoors in its products.
The Consequences of Huawei’s Actions
The GSM Association (GSMA), which organizes the MWC shows, expressed concern over the allegations of tracking devices and initiated an investigation into the matter. This situation comes at a time when the U.S. government is accusing Huawei of espionage and urging other countries to follow suit. Huawei haters believe that the company should continue to be punished by the U.S. for their alleged wrongdoings. However, Huawei still needs to provide a more detailed answer regarding these recent allegations.
In conclusion, Huawei’s alleged ties with the Chinese government and the allegations of backdoors in their products has earned them widespread scrutiny and suspicion from several countries. While Huawei maintains its innocence, the company’s actions, as seen in the recent MWC controversy, can only reinforce already existing doubts and accusations.
