House Select Committee Calls on Non-Profit to Answer for Its Support of Huawei’s Operating System
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party sent a letter to the Eclipse Foundation raising serious concerns regarding the non-profit's support of HarmonyOS, OpenHarmony, and collaborations with the OpenAtom Foundation.
HarmonyOS and OpenHarmony are operating systems developed by Huawei as an alternative to the current leading mobile operating systems developed by Google (Android) and Apple (iOS), as well as desktop operating systems such as those developed by Microsoft (Windows). HarmonyOS and OpenHarmony are also intended for use in products other than smartphones, tablets, and computers, including connected vehicles and smart devices.
The lawmakers question how the non-profit protects sensitive information from access by the Chinese Communist Party.
The letter directly references the danger posed by Huawei products. While presented as an open-source tool, the OpenHarmony project receives significant portions of its code from Huawei. The U.S. government has made it clear: Huawei is a national security threat. And, though OpenHarmony has been transferred to the OpenAtom Foundation, the risk of influence from the company's obligation to the Chinese Communist Party remains.
Regarding HarmonyOS, Chairman Moolenaar said, "HarmonyOS is developed and owned by Huawei which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party—plain and simple. It gives Beijing control over the software running on phones, cars, and smart devices around the world."
Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi added, “We should not let the wolf of Huawei into our henhouse. Rather than being reactive once HarmonyOS and Open Harmony are embedded in devices around the world, we should be proactive and make sure American operating systems continue to be the global leaders.”
The letter asked the Eclipse Foundation key questions, including:
- What technical mechanisms are in place within OpenAtom and Open Harmony to ensure Huawei's influence on development and security is mitigated?
- Has the Eclipse Foundation commissioned a comprehensive third-party audit of the codebase that could be exploited by state actors, like the CCP?
- What stated policies does the non-profit have to keep critical information under its purview from the CCP, especially if mandated by China's National Security Law?
"We are actively working to encourage the global community to utilize trusted operating systems, which certainly does not include any operating system affiliated with Huawei. Organizations like the Eclipse Foundation have a critical role to play in upholding the integrity and security of the global digital ecosystem," the letter concludes.
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