US orders investigation of national security data issues associated with Chinese autos
US orders investigation of national security data issues associated with Chinese autos
Washington: The White House announced on Thursday that because of worries about "connected" car technology, the US is starting an inquiry into whether Chinese car imports constitute a threat to national security and may be subject to restrictions.
The U.S. Commerce Department is looking into the possibility that smart cars with Chinese assembly could gather private information about American residents and infrastructure and transmit it to China, according to the White House.
President Joe Biden stated in a statement that "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."
Reporters were informed by White House officials that no decision had been made on any potential ban or restrictions on connected Chinese automobiles and that it was too early to say what action might be taken.
In a call with reporters, officials stated that the statute gives the U.S. government broad jurisdiction and that an administration move could "potentially have a large impact."
Biden ordered the Commerce Department "to take action" and referred to the initiative as a "unprecedented action to ensure that cars on U.S. roads from countries of concern like China do not undermine our national security."in order to address the hazards."
Imports of light-duty automobiles from China are comparatively rare in the US market. The administration is acting, according to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, "before Chinese manufactured vehicles become widespread in the United States and potentially threaten our privacy and national security."
Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia have been the main export markets for Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers. The largest EV manufacturer in the world by sales, BYD, has stated time and time again that it does not want to sell its vehicles in the United States.
Separately, authorities are under increased pressure to limit the entry of Chinese electric vehicles from Mexico, and the Biden administration is thinking of slapping new tariffs on automobiles manufactured in China.
Vehicles "collect large amounts of sensitive data on their drivers and passengers (and) regularly use their cameras and sensors to record detailed information on U.S. infrastructure," according to the White House, raising potential security risks.
Additionally, the White House stated that cars might "be piloted or disabled remotely" and that autonomous cars will be examined as part of the study.
Proposals to impose further trade restrictions by the Biden administration have been met with criticism from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, which has repeatedly called on the agency to "stop hyping up the 'China threat' theory and its unwarranted suppression of Chinese companies."
A cross-party group of American legislators expressed concern in November about Chinese corporations gathering and using private information while conducting trials of self-driving cars in the country.
After receiving feedback on the possible dangers of Chinese-connected cars for 60 days, the Commerce Department will consider creating laws to allay worries.
Along with information regarding current American-assembled cars, including the whereabouts of software licenses obtained by automakers, the notice was released on Thursday.
"We need to understand the extent of the technology in these cars that can capture wide swaths of data or remotely disable or manipulate connected vehicles," Raimondo stated.
Prior to this, the US blocked Chinese telecom firms from entering its market due to data security concerns. Huawei and ZTE were identified as dangers, and US carriers were required to remove their apparatus from American networks.
China has tightened its control over data management domestically in recent years, requiring the majority of enterprises to store locally created data and obtain authorization before exporting it.
Authorities in China tightened data regulations for the auto sector in May and suggested outlawing smart car data transfers directly to foreign countries, forcing Chinese automakers to use local cloud services instead.
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