Huawei is at the center of a growing debate on whether the UK has drawn a thin line between the Chinese telecom equipment company and the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, which critics say could leave it vulnerable to cyber attacks.
TalkTalk, one of Britain’s main internet providers, has begun using Huawei’s HomeSafe technology, which allows the country’s users to filter content – such as gambling sites, pornography and social media.
But the role of Huawei in the UK’s filtering system has stirred concerns on who has the upper hand in deciding what websites are censored in the country.
Huawei and Talktalk said the Chinese company had no control over how the software was used by customers, reports the Financial Times.
“The system is similar to other solutions in the market and is based on keyword categorisation; URLs are added under instruction from the customer,” A Huawei spokesman said in a statement.
Long embroiled in US accusations of its links to Chinese government-sponsored cyber attacks, Huawei has struggled in proving itself even as it become increasingly central to the UK’s telecoms network.
