Fifth generation network. The deliberations of the Supreme Council for Cyber ​​Security leave Huawei in check

The organization warns of countries that do not have “legislation or diplomatic agreements with Portugal or the European Union regarding data protection, cyber security, or intellectual property protection.”

The Security Assessment Committee, within the scope of the Supreme Council for Cyber ​​Security, considered that the use of equipment from countries outside the European Union, NATO, or the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development represented “high risks” to the security of fifth-generation networks and services. A decision calling into question the presence of Huawei and other Chinese and non-Western technologies in Portugal, According to Jornal EconomicoNoting that the document was approved after years of pressure from the United States.

In its first reaction to Jornal Económico, Huawei reiterated that it had “no prior knowledge or been consulted” about the decision. The company also adds that it is “attempting to collect further information from the relevant authorities, regarding the nature of this assessment”.

The controversy was sparked by a decision posted on the Office of National Security’s website, in which the Security Assessment Panel warns of “significant risks to the security of national networks and services arising from the implementation and use of 5G technology, and the use of equipment and services that come from a supplier or service provider that meets” one or more criteria. more.

The first mentioned is that “the legal system of the country in which it is based, or with which it is related in any other relevant way, allows the government to exercise control, interference or pressure over its activities operating in third countries.”

The second criterion is that the supplier is “domesticated or associated, in any other relevant way, with a country that is not a member of the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)”.

He considered “high risk” countries recognized by Portugal, the European Union or NATO (NATO) as responsible for “acts hostile to the national security and defense of Portugal or its allies, that is, acts of espionage or sabotage.”

Finally, he warns countries that “repeatedly practice actions contrary to international law, in particular the Charter of the United Nations and related solutions aimed at promoting responsible behavior in an open, safe and protected cyberspace”, which “lack transparency in the governance of their companies” and whose production and supply chains depend to one of these countries.

The entity has carried out a security assessment, in accordance with Article 62, paragraph 3, of the Electronic Communications Law, approved by Law No. 16/2022, of August 16, on the use of equipment in public electronic communications of the fifth generation of communications (5G) in Portugal, which has led to these conclusions .