US officials prohibited from using ZTE and Huawei devices

The President of the United States has just signed the Defense Authorization Act into law that prohibits any US official to use a device by ZTE or Huawei. The ban includes any devices that handle user data, which is basically every product of the two Chinese manufacturers. The document also states that employees, companies, agencies, and contractors must get rid of their current devices and replace them.

The Act comes after the deal between ZTE and the Commerce Department of the US. The Chinese manufacturer was saved from going bust after paying hefty fines and replacing the Board of Directors. Several congress makers were against the deal and continue to view ZTE as a threat, so decided to go through with this compromise instead.

The ban does not single out Huawei and ZTE though. The list includes the prohibition of using video surveillance and telecommunications hardware by Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, and Dahua Technology Company, all of them based in China.

Source | Via