The Ministry of Interior included the use of Huawei servers, which have raised concerns in the United States due to potential security risks, in a purchase contract for the storage infrastructure for the National Police's comprehensive border control system awarded last June.
Specifically, Interior was looking for a supplier to "complete the current client installation and expand the storage capacity of the existing backup system at the National Police (Huawei OceanStore 5500)." In particular, the Ministry was seeking 75 14-terabyte hard drives to reinforce the structure already purchased from the Chinese company, under scrutiny by the United States and the European Commission for its ties to the Chinese government. In the same contract, the acquisition of two other different storage cabinets is proposed, indicating the existence of alternatives more in line with the policy of NATO allies in a project funded with European funds, according to records consulted by EL MUNDO.
This purchase adds to the contract for the storage of judicial wiretaps amounting to 12 million euros, reported by The Objective, which led to a letter being sent to Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, requesting that Spain not have access to sensitive American information by a congressman and a Republican senator.
The widespread fear is that China may have a backdoor allowing access to the content of these servers. However, it is worth noting that the product has passed all security certifications in Spain. "All Huawei products available in the Spanish market strictly comply with local laws and regulations, as well as with the applicable criteria and standards for product admission. Regarding the mentioned product, OceanStor Dorado, it is a common flash storage hardware that complies with the regulations in the National Security Scheme and the CCN-STIC ICT security guide. Huawei does not have access to customer data. All information stored on the hardware belongs to the customer and is at their sole disposal," emphasized the Chinese technology company.
In the same vein, Defense Minister Margarita Robles criticized the PP for using this issue for political purposes and urged that "we should not simply talk based on hearsay" and "let the experts do their work" after an official visit to Huelva, as reported by Europa Press. Likewise, in a recent parliamentary response, the Government assured Vox that in the case of wiretaps, the network is "internal, isolated, and sealed off, with no external access to the data by law enforcement agents or third parties, only accessible to the judge.
This contract stands out for the explicit mention of a Chinese supplier declared high-risk at the European level in a contract involving the authorization of community funds. Spain enacted its Emergency Cybersecurity Law 5G as part of the Ukraine War initiation package, which included the creation of a list of high-risk providers to be banned from critical digital infrastructures. However, the Government has not yet included any company on this list, which is mandatory for European countries and intended to ban these Chinese providers.
This policy contrasts with the one followed by the Government, for example in the telecommunications sector, where operators have not been able to use Chinese providers for rural 5G deployment, despite there being no law prohibiting it, due to Brussels' guidelines when approving aid.
The technology company is also embroiled in a scandal involving its lobbyists, who have been expelled from the European Parliament in Brussels, as investigations are underway regarding gifts to MEPs and luxury trips sponsored by the technology company.