Huawei may find an ally in Britain

Britain, it seems, isn’t overly worried about using technology from the Chinese giant, despite warnings from the U.S. that Huawei is beholden to Beijing and is a proxy for espionage.

The head of Britain’s National Cyber Security Center, Ciaran Martin, said at a conference in Brussels that any risks posed by using Huawei’s technology could be mitigated, citing the strict British security reviews the company has been subjected to for more than 15 years.

Why it matters: By the end of the year, Britain will decide whether to use Huawei’s technology in building out its 5G network. Other European countries that are considering Huawei for their 5G networks are watching closely for clues to whether the White House’s claims have been exaggerated.

The U.S. position: American officials have argued that 5G networks are much more complex than existing systems, and that the many lines of constantly updating code make the systems nearly impossible to protect entirely.