Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump signed the executive order barring U.S. companies from using telecoms equipment from manufacturers deemed a national security risk—read Huawei—Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant broke the news that AIVD, the country’s intelligence agency, is investigating whether Huawei “may be involved in Chinese espionage in the Netherlands.”
Not a good week for Huawei.
“Huawei is said to have a hidden back door to the customer data of one of the three major telecom providers in the Netherlands: Vodafone / Ziggo, T-Mobile / Tele2 or KPN,” de Volkskrant reported, adding that “the AIVD is investigating whether there is a link with espionage by the Chinese government,” according to intelligence sources.
Neither AIVD nor the carriers responded to any questions, with AIVD telling the newspaper “we don’t say if it’s right or if it’s wrong. We never respond to questions about possible ongoing investigations because that can make our work more difficult.”
A Huawei spokesperson said that “in every country where we do business, we abide by laws and regulations and protect the privacy of our customers. Cybersecurity has always been our top priority. We continue to invest and innovate to keep the door closed for governments or parties who want to use our network for activities that endanger cybersecurity.”
Responding to the signing of the executive order in the U.S., Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had said that this should protect against “foreign adversaries [accessing] the nation’s information and communications technology and services supply chain.” And so how Washington will have enjoyed the almost immediate follow-up from the Netherlands.