Google Is Desperate to Keep Its Huawei Business, Claims Ban Threatens National Security

[bobsm]

Google Is Desperate to Keep Its Huawei Business, Claims Ban Threatens National Security
Congratulations Trump, you have successfully sanctioned US big tech
Trade War Joys
Isobel Asher Hamilton
9 Jun 19 504 1

Google is furiously lobbying the US government to let it do business with Huawei, the Financial Times reports.

Three people familiar with Google’s ongoing talks with the US Department of Commerce told the FT that senior executives have been arguing for an exemption from the ban on US companies working with the Chinese tech giant.

The DOC announced last month that it had placed Huawei on an “entity list,” meaning US companies have to seek government permission before doing business with the firm. In response, Google suspended its ties with Huawei, cutting it off from the Android operating system used by all Huawei phones.

Huawei is not yet totally frozen out, as the DOC granted the company a three-month grace period.

Google executives have been asking the DOC for either another extension or to be entirely exempted from the ban, according to the FT. Their argument hinges around national security, specifically the risks that could arise if Huawei were forced to make its own version of Android.[

“Google has been arguing that by stopping it from dealing with Huawei, the US risks creating two kinds of Android operating system: the genuine version and a hybrid one. The hybrid one is likely to have more bugs in it than the Google one, and so could put Huawei phones more at risk of being hacked, not least by China,” a source with knowledge of the discussions told the FT.

President Donald Trump administration’s justifies its Huawei ban on national security grounds, as it claims the phone maker acts as a proxy for the Chinese government to spy. Huawei denies this.

Huawei has said publicly that it has been working on getting its own operating system ready in case it were cut off from Android. Huawei executive Richard Yu told CNBC that the new OS could be ready for Chinese customers as soon as this year, and for the rest of the world by early 2020.

A Google spokesman told Business Insider: “like other US companies, we’re engaging with the Department of Commerce to ensure we’re in full compliance with its requirements and temporary licence. Our focus is protecting the security of Google users on the millions of existing Huawei handsets in the US and around the world.”


https://www.checkpointasia.net/goog...iness-claims-ban-threatens-national-security/

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

https://venturebeat.com/2019/06/07/...le-contradicts-its-own-open-source-arguments/

By calling Huawei Android fork a security risk, Google contradicts its own open source arguments

Google is reportedly pushing for an exemption from the U.S. government’s Huawei trade ban, arguing that an Android-based operating system developed by the Chinese tech titan could pose a significant security threat. According to a report in the Financial Times, which cites “three people briefed” on the matter, Google is arguing that forcing it to stop working with Huawei “risks creating two kinds of Android operating system: the genuine version, and a hybrid one.”

The claims state that the hybrid OS will likely have more bugs and could make Huawei phones more susceptible to being hacked. “Our focus is protecting the security of Google users on the millions of existing Huawei handsets in the U.S. and around the world,” the company told the Financial Times.

The lobbying effort, if true, follows nearly two years of escalating tensions, with the U.S. citing numerous security concerns relating to Huawei equipment. After the U.S. added Huawei and affiliates to a trade blacklist last month, Google revealed that complying with the restrictions would mean no longer providing Huawei with support for Android, including access to Google’s services. This may not have any meaningful effect on existing Huawei devices in the short-term, but the impact will be felt on future phones and tablets, which won’t be able to offer Google’s app store or any Google services — such as Maps, YouTube, and Gmail. As such, Huawei revealed that it would be pushing ahead with plans to bring its own mobile OS to market, one that will likely be based on Android to ensure compatibility with the millions of Android apps out there.

Contradiction
While it’s clear Google stands to lose a lot if it’s forced to stop working with Huawei permanently, that argument won’t hold much water with the Trump administration. The specific security argument Google is using isn’t clear, but it will likely focus on the fact that a “forked” version of Android won’t ship with the likes of Google Play Protect, software that helps prevent malware and other nastiness from infiltrating Android devices. Given that Huawei is now among the biggest smartphone makers globally, this could pose a serious threat to not only Huawei device owners themselves, but to anyone sharing data with a person using a Huawei phone.

Such an argument is easy to follow. It uses the U.S. government’s own position — “Huawei is a security threat” — to support the notion that banning trade with Huawei outright could serve as an even bigger security threat in the long run. However, an argument that forked Android operating systems are more insecure would impugn not just Huawei, but any company wishing to build a non-Google Android-based OS.

More importantly, this argument would run contrary to the spirit of claims Google has previously made in relation to Android, when it sought to counter accusations that Android is a monopolistic, anticompetitive force.

Indeed, the Alphabet subsidiary had to completely reconfigure its business model in Europe last year after it was hit with a $5 billion fine by EU antitrust regulators over the way it allegedly forced manufacturers to bundle some Google apps, including Gmail, Google Search, and Google Play, on Android phones. A key argument Google used in its defense was that OEMs — such as Amazon with Fire OS — have always been free to do as they please with Android, given that it is released under an open source license.

“Our partner agreements are entirely voluntary — anyone can use Android without Google,” noted Ken Walker, Google’s SVP of global affairs, in a 2016 blog post. “Try it — you can download the entire operating system for free, modify it how you want, and build a phone. And major companies like Amazon do just that.”

When defending the rules Google has in place for phone makers wishing to use its version of Android, Google CEO Sundar Pichai added:

No phone maker is even obliged to sign up to these rules — they can use or modify Android in any way they want, just as Amazon has done with its Fire tablets and TV sticks.

There may be legitimate security concerns over a company of Huawei’s size rushing out its own OS, and its ability to roll out regular and timely security patches. But time and again, Google has used Android’s open source foundations as a way to deflect accusations that it has a stranglehold on a closed ecosystem. If these latest reports are true, Google is now actively working to preempt one of the biggest Android forks in the history of smartphones — by arguing that such forks pose a major security threat.

Google simply can’t have it all ways: Either Android is a positive force because it’s open source and manufacturers can do what they please with it, or it’s an international security risk. It can’t be both.

 

[atan651]

Huawei MUST and WILL develop its own technologies both hardware and software!

 

[Han Patriot]

First they wanna ban us, after we unveil an OS, it's suddenly begging us to use Google Android again. Wtf

Realise boy genius on top is reposting the same article.

 

[xyxmt]

Google is scared of loosing 30% of world population, If Huiwei version on android becomes popular that is a security (existence) threat to Google.

 

[Globenim]

Next they might figure out that not selling products to China also has some effects on U.S. companies profit margin, almost like trade and the entire world is not as onedimensional and simple as some morons mindlessly parotting Washingtons propaganda, make it out to be.

What are these cold war fossils going to find out next? That the Android "eco system" from their endlessly repeated talkingpoints against Huawei also is more than just Google on some lever? That cutting out a company that greately promoted Android over say iOS and making major directly and indirect contributions to the project, just might have consequences for all of the Android project and consequently community and customerbase it self as well?

 

[Menthol]

I think the source of the problem is USA unconfident with their own ability in RnD.

If they are confident, there will be no a case like this.

They will open hearten welcoming any science and contribution from around the world.

 

[lcloo]

Oh... Oh, a new OS is coming soon. No more monopoly by US companies, and $$$$ is soon not forth coming.

 

[Verve]

and so could put Huawei phones more at risk of being hacked, not least by China,”

What this means is that: Huawei's own system may close the door for Google, and therefore US agencies, to collect data from those phones.

 

[oprih]

Lol, muricans are like their india lover, they beg daily.