Vermont is the First State to Ban Chinese Tech

In the next big move against Chinese technology, the State of Vermont has banned the tech.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Feb 26, 2019

In the next big move against Chinese technology, the State of Vermont has banned Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese telecom equipment from all of its information and telecommunications systems, as well as Kaspersky-branded security products, like Anti-Virus or products from Kaspersky Government Security Solutions.

The news comes from a directive from John Quinn, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Digital Services, as reported by the Burlington Free Press. 

"The agency has determined that the risks presented by Kaspersky-branded products or services, and covered telecommunications equipment or services including those provided by Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hangzou Hikvision Technology or Dahua Technology" were sufficient to justify the ban.

In the directive, Quinn pointed to ties between Kaspersky and Russian government agencies and the potential for Chinese intelligence agencies to use Chinese info tech as espionage platforms to use against the U.S. and its allies. 

The heads of U.S. intelligence agencies agree that Chinese telecoms pose a security risk. Vermonts decision to ban the Chinese tech comes as the most recent Defense Authorization Bill prevents government contractors from buying equipment from Huawei and ZTE, and must submit a plan for phasing out the equipment already in use.