U.S. State and Local Governments Still Buy Banned Chinese Tech

Jack Corrigan and Michael Kratsios

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National security leaders have long warned that technologies produced by Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese companies could be used as conduits for foreign espionage, hacking, and other nefarious activities. But state and local government agencies across the United States are still purchasing and installing this dangerous equipment. If U.S. policymakers do not construct a more unified defense against foreign technology threats, the country will remain vulnerable to potentially devastating attacks.

U.S. government agencies have been forbidden from using equipment from Huawei, ZTE, and three other Chinese companies designated as national security threats since 2019, and policymakers have been sounding the alarm on these firms since at least 2012. But in a recent report we published with Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, we found state and local officials have continued installing products from these companies in the networks of schools, hospitals, transit systems, utility departments, and other government facilities nationwide.

Eliminating a particular product from any supply chain is no easy feat. The global technology industry is vast, complex, and opaque, which makes it exceedingly difficult for governments to determine the provenance of the products they purchase. Aside from transparency issues, many state and local agencies also have limited funds and technical expertise, and they may reasonably prioritize addressing pressing threats like ransomware over the more abstract risks posed by foreign technology.