Biden administration will investigate national security risks posed by Chinese-made ‘smart cars’
Officials are concerned that features such as driver assistance technology could effectively be used to spy on Americans.
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Biden administration will investigate national security risks posed by Chinese-made ‘smart cars’
Feb. 29, 2024, 7:38 AM EST / Source: The Associated Press
By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Citing potential national security risks, the Biden administration says it will investigate Chinese-made “smart cars” that can gather sensitive information about Americans driving them.
The probe could lead to new regulations aimed at preventing China from using sophisticated technology in electric cars and other so-called connected vehicles to track drivers and their personal information. Officials are concerned that features such as driver assistance technology could be used to effectively spy on Americans.
While the action stops short of a ban on Chinese imports, President Joe Biden said he is taking unprecedented steps to safeguard Americans’ data.
“China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices,’’ Biden said in a statement Thursday. “China’s policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security. I’m not going to let that happen on my watch.’’
Biden and other officials noted that China has imposed wide-ranging restrictions on American autos and other foreign vehicles.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said connected cars “are like smart phones on wheels” and pose a serious national security risk.
“These vehicles are connected to the internet. They collect huge amounts of sensitive data on the drivers — personal information, biometric information, where the car goes,’’ she told reporters late Wednesday. “So it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out how a foreign adversary like China, with access to this sort of information at scale, could pose a serious risk to our national security and the privacy of U.S. citizens.’’
Data collection is not the only concern, she and other officials said. Connected vehicles could also be remotely enabled or manipulated by bad actors.
“Imagine if there were thousands or hundreds of thousands of Chinese-connected vehicles on American roads that could be immediately and simultaneously disabled by somebody in Beijing,’’ Raimondo said. “So it’s scary to contemplate the cyber risks, espionage risks that these pose.’’
Few Chinese cars are currently imported to the United States, in part because of steep tariffs the U.S. imposes on vehicles imported from China. Still, officials are concerned tariffs are not sufficient to address the problem. Some Chinese companies seek to avoid U.S. tariffs by setting up assembly plants in nearby countries such as Mexico.
Under a plan announced Thursday, the Commerce Department is issuing an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking that will launch an investigation into national security risks posed by “connected vehicles” from China and other countries considered hostile to the United States.
