SPY GEAR

Huawei Caught Pitching Surveillance Projects in PowerPoint Presentations, Report Says

The technology giant has long fended off accusations that it helps the Chinese government spy on citizens, but marketing presentations appear to paint a different story.

More than 100 marketing presentations featuring the Huawei Technologies logo reportedly show the technology giant actively pitching its products as tools that can be used to help governments conduct surveillance on citizens. The Washington Post reports the PowerPoint slides all feature the company’s watermark, along with a “Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.” copyright, and some of the presentations appear to target government agencies. The presentations appear to cast doubt on the Chinese company’s repeated denials that it ever played a role in helping the Beijing government track citizens. Huawei is on a trade blacklist in the U.S. over national-security concerns, and the company has been blocked from providing equipment for 5G networks in several countries over spying fears.

The company denied any knowledge of the presentations in a statement to the Post, also noting that “privacy protection is our top priority.” According to the Post, the slides show Huawei detailing how its technology can be used for voice-recording analysis, detention center monitoring, location tracking, corporate tracking of employees, and police surveillance in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government has been accused of carrying out genocide against Uighur Muslims.