Google: Huawei ban is a national security risk
Google has warned the Trump administration it risks compromising US national security if it pushes ahead with planned restrictions on Huawei.
Senior executives at Google are pushing US officials to exempt it from a ban on exports to the Chinese company, according to the Financial Times.
The Trump administration announced the ban after trade talks between the US and China collapsed in May.
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The sanctions will hurt Huawei in the short term.
But industry experts say it could push the company to develop its own homegrown technologies.
This could damage the dominance of American tech companies like Google in the longer term.
Google is particularly worried that the ban would prevent it from updating its Android operating system on Huawei smartphones, according to the report.
The move could prompt Huawei to develop its own operating system, which would be more susceptible to hacking.
A Google spokesperson said: “We’re engaging with the Department of Commerce to ensure we’re in full compliance with its requirements and temporary license. Our focus is protecting the security of Google users on the millions of existing Huawei handsets in the US and around the world.”
The Trump administration added Huawei to a trade blacklist in May.
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The measures gave the US commerce department the power to ban Huawei from selling 5G equipment in the US.
It also banned American companies from selling their products to the Chinese group.