Google reportedly argues against cutting Huawei off, cites security concerns

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If the reports are to be believed, Google is reportedly urging the Trump administration to lift its ban on doing business with Huawei. The company is citing security concerns as the reason for them to continue working with Huawei.

Last month, Huawei has been blacklisted by the US government and prevented them from conducting business with US companies without prior government approval. So, Google had to restrict Huawei’s access to the Android operating system. And while the US backtracked a bit and delayed that action by 90 days, that reprieve is set to expire on August 19^th.

And if the ban takes full effect, Huawei will be restricted to using the open-source version of Android. The company’s phones won’t also come with pre-loaded Google apps like the Google Play Store. Huawei will also lose access to security features like Google Play Protect. And this is a cause for concern, according to Google.

Google is reportedly arguing that having a forked version of Android poses a big risk. Without features like Google Play Protect, which runs security checks before apps are downloaded, it’ll be easier for bad actors to get users to install malware-ridden apps into their phones. It means Huawei phones will be “more at risk of being hacked.” And while this argument might be a stretch, if a non-Huawei user communicates with one who uses an infected Huawei phone, they’re put at risk as well.

Of course, you can view Google’s intentions through a couple of perspectives. One is there is a security concern. Another is Google is set to lose a big customer if they have to drop Huawei.

Source: Mashable