from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – HUAWEI has refuted allegations of espionage and theft of personal data leveled against it by critics, led by the United States (US).
Mika Lauhde, the Huawei’s Global Vice President for Cyber security and Privacy, dismissed the claims unsubstantiated and peddled for political reasons.
He was speaking at an Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) Kenya online conference to highlight Huawei’s leadership, expertise and track record on cybersecurity and privacy.
Lauhde explained that Huawei never had any major security incidents and believed in the importance of standards in cyber security.
“Trust needs to be based on facts, facts need to be verifiable, and verification needs to be based on common standards,” he stated.
Lauhde accused the outgoing US government of Donald trump of double standards, with the irony being that the US CLOUD Act allows American governmental entities to access data across borders.
Lauhde explained that the Chinese company had established multiple management systems and incorporated internationally recognised cyber security certification standards and requirements into product research and development (R&D) with third-party laboratories to certify Huawei products.
He disclosed Huawei had already obtained over 300 certifications and in May became the first vendor to pass the Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme (NESAS) audit for 5G wireless and core network equipment.
“We work closely with government and telco customers who have been inspecting our equipment and using it for decades. We are very transparent with them.”
Lauhde reiterated sentiments by Huawei Rotating Chairman, Guo Ping, in 2019 that Huawei is the most audited and inspected company in the industry.
Ping believes no other equipment provider has undergone the scrutiny that Huawei has.
“For the greatest security, choose Huawei,” Ping said.
Relations between Huawei and the Trump government have been tetchy since 2018 when the National Defense Authorisation Act was signed into law.
It contained a provision that banned Huawei and ZTE equipment from being used by the US federal government, citing security concerns.
– CAJ News