Huawei blacklisted: Google revokes Android license!

M.Sc. Chris Wojzechowski

Huawei blacklisted: Google revokes Android license!

Some shops of the Chinese company Huawei have now landed on a Google blacklist. The main exception is a speech by US President Donald Trump, who declared a national emergency on 16 May. You can find out what effects this could have in the future and what current Huawei customers should expect here.

Donald Trump Declares National Emergency

On Thursday, May 16, 2019, the U.S. President declared a national emergency in telecommunications. In a decree, Trump gave the U.S. government extensive powers to take action against foreign telecommunications companies, citing the president’s justification for this act as protecting his country from foreign enemies.

The US Department of Commerce added that there was sufficient evidence that Huaweiss’ activities ran counter to the national security or foreign policy interests of the US, and that the decree required US companies wishing to sell technology to Chinese companies to acquire a license. This license can be denied if there are sufficient safety concerns, but within the US this change is not only welcomed, as some critics claim that the 5G technology can be significantly delayed by this law.

Those who want to go beyond this summary to the US President’s decree can do so on Spiegel’s website.

Huawei on the Blacklist – Consequences for Customers

How big the effects are for the company itself is not yet known. But some experts doubt that Huawei can continue to work without the help of the USA. In principle, future smartphones of the Chinese company that run with Android will no longer be allowed to have access to popular Google services. Google itself can hardly influence this restriction because the USA can prohibit trade between Google, e.g. with current Android versions, and Huawei. Until all restrictions have been clarified, Google can only try to acquire the required license.

How exactly these restrictions will be enforced is currently being examined by lawyers on both sides, Huawei and Google. Current Huawei users who purchased their smartphone before May 16 do not have to fear or expect any restrictions.

More information can be found on the Reuters website.

 

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M.Sc. Chris Wojzechowski

My name is Chris Wojzechowski and I studied my Master in Internet Security in Gelsenkirchen a few years ago. I am one of two managing directors of AWARE7 GmbH and a trained IT Risk Manager, IT-Grundschutz practitioner (TÜV) and possess the test procedure competence for § 8a BSIG. Our bread and butter business is performing penetration testing. We are also committed to promoting a broad understanding of IT security in Europe, which is why we offer the majority of our products free of charge.