Huawei Accused Of Helping Governments Spy On Opposition

This week the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has published allegations that technicians from Chinese telecoms giant Huawei have helped the authorities in Uganda and Zambia to spy on opposition actors.

Huawei is the dominant supplier of mobile internet networks and state surveillance systems in Africa.

According to their investigation the authorities in Uganda intercepted messages to stop rallies and track members locations. The WSJ article claims that in Uganda six intelligence officers sought the support of Huawei technicians following Bobi Wine’s return from the U.S. last year, where he had been seeking medical treatment following a period of detention. Together they infiltrated a WhatsApp group belonging to Bobi Wine and his supporters.

The investigation also looked at the firm’s activities in Zambia, where Huawei technicians are alleged to have helped the government access the phones and Facebook pages of opposition news sites. The ruling PF has previously stated that police officers were working with Chinese experts at the firm to track and arrest bloggers. However, the Ugandan authorities have been quick to rebut the allegations, with government spokesperson Ofowno Opondo telling the BBC, "In Uganda we run a transparent democratic system. The opposition politicians speak their mind openly... there is no need to use underhand methods to find out what they are saying."

Huawei has described the allegations as “unfounded and inaccurate” and denied conducting business with Zambia’s Cybercrime Crack Squad.

Blessing Mwangi