The New York City-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) told editors of its 200 journals yesterday that it feared “severe legal implications” from continuing to use Huawei scientists as reviewers in vetting technical papers. They can continue to serve on IEEE editorial boards, according to the memo, but “cannot handle any papers” until the sanctions are lifted.
On 15 May, the US Department of Commerce added Huawei and its affiliates to a list of companies for which a licence is required before US technology can be sold or transferred. The department can refuse to grant such a permit, issued by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) if it deems that any sales or transfers would harm US national security interests. US officials have alleged that the Chinese government could use equipment manufactured by Huawei, which is a global supplier of cell phones and wireless data networks, to spy on users or disrupt critical infrastructure.
Huawei scientists can continue to engage in a range of society activities including attending IEEE-sponsored conferences and make presentations, submit articles to IEEE journals, and participate in leadership and governance bodies to which they belong.
However, they may not be given access to the type of technical information that would be part of a research article. IEEE said they “cannot receive or access materials submitted by other persons until after IEE has accepted the material for publication”. At that point, Huawei scientists “may act as editor or peer reviewer for that material”.
The IEEE ban has sparked outrage among Chinese scientists on social media. “I joined IEEE as a PhD student because it is recognised as an International academic platform in electronics engineering”, wrote Haixia (Alice) Zhang of Peking University in Beijing in a letter to IEEE leadership. “But this message is challenging my professional integrity. I have decided to quit the editorial boards [of two IEEE journals until it restores our common professional integrity.”
Meanwhile, the SD Association has made an about-turn after ditching Huawei last week, quietly removing the company from its membership list.
The board of members consisting a list of 1,000 parties on the company’s official website has again listed Huawei Technologies name. The same applies to the WiFi association sponsor list, where Huawei makes another appearance.
As we pointed out last week, Huawei has an answer to its SD card problem. The company has its Nano-Memory card solution, used in the likes of the P30 Pro. It’s a proprietary format that’s not widely available or used by other brands, but it’s an option.