The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on March 25 added cybersecurity firm Kaspersky and carriers China Mobile and China Telecom to its listing listing the companies deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of persons of the United States “. The three companies join Huawei or ZTE. They will no longer be able to claim the FCC’s $8 billion annual fund to support telecommunications services in rural areas, for low-income consumers, schools, libraries, hospitals…
Kaspersky rejects accusations like China Mobile and Telecom
Kaspersky is the first company to appear in a list exclusively occupied so far by Chinese companies. The Russian-born cybersecurity firm has already been banned from US government networks since 2017. Kaspersky has said ” disappointed with the FCC’s decision ” socket ” for political reasons ” and no ” based on a technical evaluation of Kaspersky products “.
The FCC bases its decision on findings from the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Telecommunications Services Sector Foreign Participation Review Panel, an interagency body. Eugene Kaspersky and the company he created are accused by the Americans of having a link with the Russian intelligence services. Suspicions ” unsubstantiated and devoid of any evidence of wrongdoing according to those concerned.
What assessment for artificial intelligence and machine learning in 2021?
In France, at the beginning of March, the National Information Systems Security Agency (ANSSI) had valued that using Kaspersky tool ” may be questioned because of their link with Russia, at this stage, no objective element justifies changing the assessment of the level of quality of the products and services provided “. The Russian company considers itself, above all, a victim of the geopolitical context, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, rather than specific accusations or reproaches.
For China Mobile and China Telecom, the news is less surprising. In 2019, China Mobile’s application to offer telecommunications services in the United States was rejected for security reasons. China Telecom’s authorization was revoked in October 2021. For Americans, the company is completely subject to Beijing’s orders.
We must admit that the official reaction did not come from the two companies, but from the Chinese Embassy in Washington according to Reuters. She accuses the FCC of abusing its power and attacking ” maliciously Chinese telecommunications operators, again without factual basis “. The embassy asks the United States to reconsider this decision.
FCC Name & Shame
Little chance that the embassy will be listened to. Brendan Carr, FCC Commissioner, welcomed the decision, which ” help secure our networks from threats posed by Chinese and Russian state-backed entities that seek to spy and harm America’s interests “.
It is difficult to assess the economic impact of this decision on the three companies, even if it seems limited. The most notable consequence is rather in terms of image, especially in Western countries. They fuel widespread suspicion around three companies that don’t need this, for different reasons. Huawei also received similar treatment.