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Tag: Five Eyes

  • Canada Is the Last ‘Five Eyes’ Country to Ban Huawei

    Canada Is the Last ‘Five Eyes’ Country to Ban Huawei

    Canada is the latest country to ban Huawei, becoming the last of the so-called “Five Eyes” countries to do so.

    Huawei has been widely accused of being a conduit for Beijing’s spying apparatus, leading the US and many of its allies to ban the company’s equipment from their 5G networks. The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprised of the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. While the other four countries had already banned Huawei, Canada has now joined the rest of the alliance in doing so.

    As recently as early 2020, Canada was still undecided about what to do with Huawei, although the country made it clear it would not “get bullied by any other jurisdictions” into making a decision. Its stance began to soften in 2021, with officials indicating they might finally be ready to ban the Chinese firm.

    According to CBC, the Canadian government has not only banned Huawei from participating in future 5G network build-outs, but providers must rip out existing Huawei 5G equipment by June 28, 2024. In addition, any Huawei 4G equipment must be removed by Dec. 31, 2027.

    “This is the right decision and we are pleased to announce it today because it will secure our network for generations to come,” Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a news conference Thursday.

  • Canada May Finally Ban Huawei

    Canada May Finally Ban Huawei

    Canada may finally ban Huawei from its 5G networks, the last of the Five Eyes countries to do so.

    Huawei has been banned from participating in 5G networks in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Despite its allies doing so, Canada had signaled it would not necessarily follow the same course. The ruling Liberal government has been hesitant to ban Huawei, with Conservatives trying to pressure it to do so. 

    According to The Canadian Press, however, the government may finally be ready to ban the Chinese firm.

    “However, in order to leverage this opportunity for economic growth through 5G, the safety and security of the technology must be ensured,” reads briefing notes prepared earlier this year for Bill Blair, when he was public safety minister.

    “Incidents resulting from the exploitation of vulnerabilities by malicious actors will be more difficult to safeguard against, and could have a broader impact than in previous generations of wireless technology.”

    Should Canada follow through on the ban, it would be another major hit to Huawei’s business.

  • US Joins International Call For Encryption Backdoors

    US Joins International Call For Encryption Backdoors

    Once again, the US is calling for weakened encryption, along with the Five Eyes, Japan and India.

    The Five Eyes is a group of nations that cooperate on intelligence, comprised of the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The extent of the Five Eyes’ spying was brought to the public’s attention as a result of Edward Snowden’s leaks.

    In an international statement, the Five Eyes, along with Japan and India, have once again called on companies to achieve the impossible.

    The statement beings with the following statement supporting strong encryption:

    We, the undersigned, support strong encryption, which plays a crucial role in protecting personal data, privacy, intellectual property, trade secrets and cyber security. It also serves a vital purpose in repressive states to protect journalists, human rights defenders and other vulnerable people, as stated in the 2017 resolution of the UN Human Rights Council. Encryption is an existential anchor of trust in the digital world and we do not support counter-productive and dangerous approaches that would materially weaken or limit security systems.

    The next part of the statement, however, directly contradicts the opening remark:

    Particular implementations of encryption technology, however, pose significant challenges to public safety, including to highly vulnerable members of our societies like sexually exploited children. We urge industry to address our serious concerns where encryption is applied in a way that wholly precludes any legal access to content. We call on technology companies to work with governments to take the following steps, focused on reasonable, technically feasible solutions:

    • Embed the safety of the public in system designs, thereby enabling companies to act against illegal content and activity effectively with no reduction to safety, and facilitating the investigation and prosecution of offences and safeguarding the vulnerable;
    • Enable law enforcement access to content in a readable and usable format where an authorisation is lawfully issued, is necessary and proportionate, and is subject to strong safeguards and oversight; and
    • Engage in consultation with governments and other stakeholders to facilitate legal access in a way that is substantive and genuinely influences design decisions.

    As has been pointed out repeatedly at WPN, what the international statement calls for is not theoretically, practically or scientifically possible. Encryption is based on mathematics. For encryption to be “strong,” it must be based on a sound mathematical implementation.

    The minute a backdoor is created, that strength vanishes. There is simply no way to simultaneously have strong encryption combined with a method to defeat that encryption. No matter how well intentioned such a backdoor may be, any such method would ultimately weaken encryption for everyone—including those, as the statement highlights, whose very lives depend on secure, encrypted communication.

    This is one of the reasons that, as previously reported, secure messaging app Signal has already said it would not be able to continue operating in the US should legislation be passed enforcing encryption backdoors. For perspective, Signal is used by congressional staff and the military, specifically because it is so secure.

    What is not clear is whether the officials calling for encryption backdoors understand the underlying principle and are disingenuously claiming otherwise, or whether they truly do not understand how encryption works.

  • US Assets Could Be Pulled From UK Over Huawei Deal

    US Assets Could Be Pulled From UK Over Huawei Deal

    The US is reviewing its military and intelligence assets in the UK and may pull them out following the UK’s decision to use Huawei.

    The US has banned Huawei and engaged in a campaign to pressure its allies to do the same, especially those allies that, along with the US, constitute the Five Eyes. Comprised of the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US, the Five Eyes work closely on the international scene and share intelligence. The UK, in particular, shares a very close relationship with the US, a relationship that has been strained with the UK’s decision to include Huawei in its 5G network.

    According to The Telegraph, the UK’s decision may soon result in action on the part of the US. The Telegraph says that half a dozen sources have confirmed that a review is underway to determine what military and intelligence assets in the UK may need to be pulled out.

    “This was not a bluff. You cannot mitigate the danger Boris Johnson is exposing the UK to by letting Huawei into the network,” said one of the sources.

    “This review is not a punishment. This is the White House saying ‘okay, if they’re going to go down this path and put themselves at risk then how do we protect ourselves.’”

    The coming weeks and months will no doubt be pivotal, in terms of the US and UK’s relationship. It’s also possible that such a review could put more pressure on Johnson to reverse the decision, something many in the British government already want to do.

  • British Government Facing Rebellion Over Huawei 5G

    British Government Facing Rebellion Over Huawei 5G

    Following the UK’s decision to include Huawei in its 5G networks in a limited role, a group of Tory MPs tried to pass an amendment to stop the firm’s involvement.

    According to a BBC report, former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith proposed the amendment to the Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, an amendment that would have required “high-risk vendors” to be banned from the country’s 5G architecture by the end of 2022. The amendment was defeated by 24 votes, but it signals that Prime Minister Johnson’s own party is divided on the decision.

    Of the Five Eyes countries—the U.S., UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada—that share intelligence, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand have already banned the Chinese firm. Canada is still undecided, making the U.K. the only country that has welcomed its involvement, albeit in a limited role. As part of the decision to allow Huawei’s participation, the government agreed to limit it to 35% of network equipment and restrict it from the core network, or from being installed near military bases or nuclear sites.

    If this recent vote was any indication, the company’s role in the UK’s future networks is far from resolved.

  • Canada Undecided On Huawei, Will Not ‘Get Bullied’

    Canada Undecided On Huawei, Will Not ‘Get Bullied’

    Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Navdeep Bains, has said the country will not be pressured into make a decision on Huawei.

    Canada is part of the Five Eyes group of countries that work closely on intelligence. Of the group, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand have banned Huawei from their 5G networks, while the UK has opted to include the Chinese firm in a limited role. Canada has yet to decide, but is warning the country must do what is best for itself.

    According to Bloomberg, Bains told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. “We will make sure that we proceed in a manner that’s in our national interest. We won’t get bullied by any other jurisdictions.”

    “Countries have raised their concerns. We’re engaged with our Five Eyes partners. We know that this is a very important issue,” he added. “But we will make a decision that makes sense for Canadians and protects Canadians.”

    The U.S. has been pressuring its allies, both in the Five Eyes and EU, to ban Huawei. It’s safe to say the U.S. certainly wants to win over its closest ally geographically but, based on Bains’ remarks, that may be easier said than done.

  • UK Will Include Huawei in a Limited 5G Role

    UK Will Include Huawei in a Limited 5G Role

    Defying pressure from the U.S. and Conservative MPs, the UK has refused to ban Huawei, opting to include it in a limited role, according to BBC News.

    Amidst ongoing allegations that Huawei exposes governments and corporations to spying by the Chinese government, the U.S. has banned Huawei and engaged in a campaign to pressure its allies to do the same. That campaign has stepped up in recent weeks as the UK has weighed what role Huawei would play moving forward. The U.S. has even considered limiting intel sharing with countries that use Huawei for their 5G network, a move that would certainly strain the U.S. and UK’s “special relationship.”

    Instead of banning Huawei, the UK has opted for allowing the company a limited role in the country’s 5G networks. As part of decision, Huawei will only be allowed to account for 35% of 5G telecommunications equipment. What’s more, the company will not be allowed to contribute to the sensitive parts of the core network. It will also be restricted from being used near military bases or nuclear sites.

    In spite of the UK’s decision, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab believes it will have no impact on intel sharing with the U.S., or the coalition of countries known as the Five Eyes—the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia, along with the UK.

    “Nothing in this review affects this country’s ability to share highly-sensitive intelligence data over highly-secure networks both within the UK and our partners, including the Five Eyes,” the minister told the House of Commons, according to the BBC.

    It remains to be seen, however, what long-term impact this agreement will have on UK/U.S. relations.

  • Five Eyes Sign Intelligence Agreement to Target China

    Five Eyes Sign Intelligence Agreement to Target China

    The Five Eyes gained worldwide attention and notoriety in the wake of the Snowden revelations. The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprised of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The agencies of the five countries share intelligence and cooperate in the global War on Terror.

    Now, according to a joint statement posted on the U.S. State Department website, the Five Eyes have joined forces to help advance “responsible state behavior in cyberspace.” The Five Eyes are joined by 22 other countries in the joint statement.

    It’s widely believed this new effort targets threats from China, including state-sponsored cyber espionage, online disinformation campaigns and intellectual property theft. Although China is not specifically named, much of the language used in the joint statement references behaviors and actions that China has long been accused of.

    The statement wraps up with the promise that “as responsible states that uphold the international rules-based order, we recognize our role in safeguarding the benefits of a free, open, and secure cyberspace for future generations. When necessary, we will work together on a voluntary basis to hold states accountable when they act contrary to this framework, including by taking measures that are transparent and consistent with international law. There must be consequences for bad behavior in cyberspace.”