Security News > 2022 > March > Kaspersky, China Telecom, China Mobile named 'threats to US national security'

The United Stations Federal Communications Commission has labelled Kaspersky, China Mobile, and China Telecom as threats to national security.

Kaspersky is the first non-Chinese company to be added to the FCC's list, but the agency did not tie its decision to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The companies were named under the USA's Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 - a law that "Prohibits the use of certain federal funds to obtain communications equipment or services from a company that poses a national security risk to US communications networks."

While the FCC's labelling of the three as threats to national security is therefore dramatic, the effect of this news is less so.

The pool of funds the Act covers is small, US government agencies were already required to remove Kaspersky products in 2017, and US operations of China Mobile and China Telecom were already constrained by the Clean Network plan's requirement that no Chinese carriers touch US networks.

Although naming the three companies as national security risks does make it utterly plain why the US government has acted.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/03/28/fcc_kaspersky_china_telecom_china_mobile_national_security/