Chinese Government Banned Symantec and Kaspersky Lab

The most well-known anti-virus companies Symantec and Kaspersky were banned from working on government contracts in China. According to the local media, the authorities are trying to limit use of foreign technology – as a result, Symantec, owned by the US, and Kaspersky, owned by the Russians, can no longer apply for government contracts.

The Chinese media reported that government procurement office had only approved the use of Chinese anti-virus software brands: Qihoo 360, Venustech, CAJinchen, Beijing Jiangmin and Rising.

However, it looks like Kaspersky is not going to give up, but hold negotiations with the Chinese authorities on the issue. At the moment, there are no additional details on this matter, but the tech giant’s intentions are understandable. In the meantime, the local authorities could also be understood: apparently, Beijing is keen on promoting use of domestic IT products after leaks from Edward Snowden raised concerns about various foreign surveillance programs.

As for Symantec, the company confirmed that China did ban use of one of its data loss prevention products, but also clarified that its representatives are currently in talks about the ban. At the same time, a Symantec spokesperson pointed out that there was no indication of a Chinese ban on Symantec’s flagship anti-virus software programs.

A few months ago, the Chinese authorities had also banned government use of Windows 8, explaining this move with the desire to “ensure computer security after Microsoft ended support for its Windows XP”. Like in many other countries, XP was (and remains) widely used in China, and it seems that the country is not ready to upgrade all of its hundreds millions of computers just because Microsoft decided it’s time to move on.