The comments were made during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday.
The intelligence chiefs said they were “deeply concerned” about the risks posed by these devices, though Huawei denies any wrongdoing.
Six US intelligence chiefs, including those from the FBI, CIA and NSA, have advised against using Huawei and ZTE phones. The news arrives via CNBC, which says the heads told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that they wouldn’t recommend the products to private citizens.
“[We are] deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don’t share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage.”
Intelligence chiefs also reportedly praised the “measured resistance” of American telecom companies against Chinese smartphone vendors.
“This is a challenge I think that is only going to increase, not lessen over time for us,” said NSA director Adm. Michael Rogers. “You need to look long and hard at companies like this.”
Meanwhile, US lawmakers also recently proposed a bill that would ban the use of Huawei and ZTE telecoms equipment in the US.
The news follows reports that US intelligence recently reiterated concerns over Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government. AT&T and Verizon are both believed to have pulled out of deals with Huawei over the allegations; Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer products division, called the cancellation of the AT&T partnership a “big loss for consumers.”
Subsequently, a Huawei spokesman provided CNBC with the following statement on the matter:
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