For Immediate Release: February 21, 2019
Press Contact: Regan Page at [email protected]
ICYMI: Citing National Security Risks, Vermont Prohibits Government Use of Huawei Technology
Burlington, VT — Vermont is banning government use of Huawei technology, according to a report by Burlington Free Press. Governor Phil Scott’s Administration has issued a cybersecurity directive to ban state government agencies and IT vendors from using Huawei products.
Meanwhile, Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s parent company and the would-be largest shareholder of the “new T-Mobile” if Sprint and T-Mobile are allowed to merge, seems to ignore Huawei’s long record of hacking and cyber theft, that could put our national security at risk. T-Mobile and Sprint refuse to commit to eliminating Huawei equipment in their current networks and future 5G deployments.
KEY EXCERPTS FOLLOW:
- "The intent is to make sure that this type of equipment can't be used against us to steal information or be the front for a cyber-attack against us," John Quinn, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Digital Services, said in an interview.
- The inclusion of the Chinese technology companies is based on an intelligence assessment about the potential for Chinese technology to be used for espionage, according to Quinn's directive.
- Vermont's decision won praise from Michael Hamilton, founder and chief information security officer of CI Security, based in Washington state. "I do think it’s a smart move," Hamilton said, noting that governments across the country are paying attention to security risks with Huawei and other products.
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