Government officials and media comments have been talking about whether to ban Huawei from 5G network construction in western countries. I am sure that you have also noticed the debate now and then. It intrigues me to ask the most important question: Is Huawei really a threat to the West?
First of all, most arguments mention that if Huawei’s hardware and software are in the network infrastructure, then data could be “stolen” and land in the company’s hands. Well, as a science student back in the university and now working as an engineer, I am always curious about the mechanism in which something happens technically. So I want to understand what kind of data can be stolen and how. But do you recall any technical explanations in those speeches or comments? In fact, no substantial evidence has been found that such theft exists. Either Huawei is so smart that it hides theft perfectly in all past years, which I don’t believe, given the fact that Huawei’s devices with software can always be checked and professionals in western countries are by no means dumb, or there is just no such thing.
Second, some comments argue that even if Huawei has not stolen anything yet, it will if requested by the Chinese government, because there is a Chinese intelligence law saying so. I checked it, the law was passed in 2017, and until now, how many such requests, if existing, have been…
