The recent accusation against Huawei has created a buzz in the tech industry, and many MWC attendees are not happy with the situation. Huawei, the Chinese tech giant, has been accused of tracking visitors who visited its booth at the most significant tech event, MWC 2023, held in Barcelona. The allegations against the company are not new. In recent years, Huawei has been considered a national security threat in the United States due to its close ties with the Communist Chinese government.
The allegation against Huawei’s tracking devices arose when some visitors failed to return their security badges, which were needed to access the Huawei booth. Upon further investigation, it was found that the plastic container of the badge contained a tracking device that looked suspiciously like a tracker. Nokia‘s new Senior Vice President of Europe, Rolf Werner, took his badge apart and displayed the circuits that could be used as trackers. The possibility of Huawei using low-powered Beacon technology to track visitors has also been discussed.
Huawei has denied the allegations, and the company spokesperson said, “The Huawei pass is used only in the booth and returned when visitors get out. There is no need to track location.” The company also mentions on the back of the badge the use of radio frequency (RFID) and Bluetooth technology to collect the swipe time, real-time location information, and the residence time information of the badge holders within the Huawei exhibition area. The information collected will be used to analyze the overall interests of the invitees in their products to enhance their service quality. Huawei added that they would protect the collected information according to their privacy policy.
The GSM Association (GSMA), which organizes MWC, commented that the suggestion of tracking devices is a serious allegation, and they are investigating the issue. The allegations against Huawei do not look good for the company at the moment, since an in-depth response clarification isn’t out yet. While Huawei has been successful in the smartphone industry, the allegations against the company’s security concerns have been a major issue. Huawei needs to provide a more detailed response to clear the air regarding the recent allegations against them.
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