Russian antivirus company Kaspersky has been labeled a threat to national security by the US FCC and has been blacklisted. It is not the first time the security company has come under fire.
Companies that have been blacklisted are no longer allowed to sell products or services in the US. Kaspersky is not the first company to be identified as a threat by the FCC, for example, the Chinese Huawei is no longer allowed to do business in the US. This is because of espionage allegations against Huawei. The Chinese company is still experiencing a lot of hindrance from. Drone maker DJI and cell phone maker ZTE are also on this list.
The FCC uses a blacklist to keep out companies it sees as “a state-backed entity.” These companies would pose a threat because they are used by Chinese and Russian governments to spy or harm other interests.
Kaspersky in a corner
In a statement Kaspersky reacted with disappointment. According to the company, the decision was not made after a technical review, but on political grounds.
However, it is not the first time that Kaspersky has come under fire. In 2018, the Dutch government decided to stop using Kaspersky software after several allegations about Russian espionage.
Hoping to restore confidence, the security company moved its data center to Zurich, Switzerland, and had its software source code checked by independent experts.
For the time being, Kaspersky has not been blacklisted for Dutch consumers.
