Reports raise alarm over Huawei access to Dutch networks
Espionage accusations raise security questions for Netherlands organisations using Chinese supplier’s equipment and services
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A secret report from 2010 – now in the hands of Dutch newspaper
de
Volkskrant – shows that Chinese supplier Huawei had free access to telephone numbers and calls on the network of Netherlands telecom provider KPN.
The company also had unlimited access to millions of customer details of KPN’s subsidiary, Telfort. The Dutch Parliament has asked questions and the telecom agency has launched an investigation.
Dutch intelligence service AIVD has long been concerned about Chinese espionage. As early as 2008, the organisation noticed an increase in the number of cyber attacks from China on the Dutch government and businesses. Ministries and high-tech companies in particular have been favourite targets.
Photo: Depositphotos.com
Government apps are only available to people who are Google and Apple clients excluding those who wish to use or offer alternatives and therefore promoting unfair competition, experts have told the Financieele Dagblad.
Government online services, such as the tax office and social benefits agency UWV, can only be safely accessed by people who agree to the Google or Apple account terms and conditions.
Those who don’t want to have to contend with a less safe environment or functionality or are left to deal with the services by mail, a number of government ministries confirmed to the paper.
No association between COVID-19 and Guillain-Barré syndrome
Neuroscientists at UCL have found no significant association between COVID-19 and the potentially paralysing and sometimes fatal neurological condition Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Researchers say the findings, published in the journal Brain , along with a linked scientific commentary by UCL and other international experts, should provide the public with reassurance, as the UK s national coronavirus vaccination programme is rolled out.
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare but serious autoimmune condition that attacks the peripheral nervous system, typically affecting the feet, hands and limbs, causing numbness, weakness and pain. While its exact cause is unknown, GBS often occurs after a gastroenteritis infection called Camplylobacter, with the immune system mistakenly attacking nerves rather than germs.