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Facebook to prevent installation of its apps on Huawei phones

Friday, 07 June 2019 4:10 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 07 June 2019 4:42 PM ]

A Huawei logo is displayed at a retail store in Beijing, China, on May 23, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Facebook has decided to prevent the installation of its applications on Chinese-made Huawei phones, joining a pressure campaign underway by the United States government on the Chinese telecom giant.

Facebook announced the decision on Friday, adding, however, that it will not affect users who have already purchased Huawei phones.

Newly-registered Huawei phones, however, will no longer be able to install Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram apps, the company said.

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s smartphone business became its biggest revenue generator last year, powered by strong growth in Europe and Asia.

Earlier, Alphabet Inc’s Google said that it would no longer provide Android software for Huawei phones after a 90-day reprieve granted by the US government expires in August.

This photo illustration shows the WhatsApp application logo (C) on a smartphone screen in Beijing, China, on September 26, 2017. (By AFP)

In May, US President Donald Trump put Huawei’s name on a trade blacklist, the latest in a campaign of pressure against the company, which Washington accuses of spying on behalf of the Chinese government.

Washington has not provided any evidence to support the allegation. And both Huawei and the Chinese government have rejected it.

The Trump administration has also been warning other countries against adopting 5G systems from Huawei.

Huawei last year surpassed Apple to become the world’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer behind Samsung.

Analysts say the US has no genuine security concern but is motivated by economic considerations, as Huawei is a rival in a crucial sector of the world economy in which America has enjoyed unrivaled supremacy for decades.

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