Politicians wary of spy-linked Huawei tabs

WINDHOEK, 21 JUN  – Some parliamentarians who received Huawei MediaPad M3 Lite tablets as gifts from Chinese-based Huawei company, are concerned that their security and privacy might be compromised through the devices.
Last week, Huawei donated 157 Huawei MediaPad M3 Lite tablets to Members of Parliament (MPs) to the tune of N.dollars 700 000, through the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT).
Some MPs have since demanded assurance from the line minister that the devices are safe from espionage, following recent allegations that Huawei was spying for the Chinese government.
Although there is no concrete evidence, international reports are rife that the Chinese government uses Huawei devices to hack into and spy on politicians and prominent individuals in foreign countries.
This week, senior lawmakers on United States of America intelligence committees warned Canada that Chinese smartphone maker Huawei, which has turned Canada into a key research centre for next-generation mobile technology, is a national security threat to a network of Canada’s allies, The Globe and Mail newspaper reported.
Taking a cautious approach, Deputy Minister of Disability Affairs Alexia Manombe-Ncube said she will only use it when she gets clarity from ICT minister Stanley Simataa about the devices.
“I was in the States [United States of America] recently, and my own Huawei phone gave me all sorts of problems,” she said in addition.
Sharing similar sentiments, United People’s Movement’s Jan van Wyk said he has already experienced problems with his gifted device.
“I received some calls and WhatsApp messages from people I don’t know. But this is a new sim card,” van Wyk complained, adding that he would also take up his concerns with Simataa.
Mines and energy minister, Tom Alweendo is yet to use his tablet but has confidence that the MICT made the necessary background checks to ensure that their information is not compromised.
“I am not even using it. I have my iPad,” said Alweendo.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Peter Katjavivi has trust in the MICT, saying it will never bring equipment that would jeopardise or put Namibia’s national security at risk.
“As parliament, we always make sure of that when we accept these gifts,” said the Speaker.
Rally for Democracy and Progress MP Steve Bezuidenhout wanted proof that Huawei was being used to spy on people.
“We cannot just run around because someone is speculating,” he said.
All People’s Party (APP) President Ignatius Shixwameni said there is nothing wrong with Huawei.
“I have been using this Huawei phone for the last three years. I have not experienced any hacking or anything,” said Shixwameni, pointing at his own phone.
His APP counterpart, Madala Nauyoma, however took a more cautious approach and did not rule out chances that the devices could be tapped.
“You never know; technology has become so complicated. Whether you have an iPad or even the phones that we have, we don’t trust them,” he said.
Meanwhile, African Union (AU) officials discovered early last year that confidential data had been downloaded from the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to servers in Shanghai, China every night since soon after the building’s inauguration in 2012. However, the Chinese government, who financed construction of the building, denied such breach allegations.
(NAMPA)