US investigates potential security threats from connected cars

The United States announced on Thursday that it would launch an investigation into potential security threats posed by connected cars using technology from China and other related countries.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he is directing the Commerce Department to lead an investigation and determine what actions may be needed to ensure that cars on U.S. roads do not harm U.S. national security.

“Most cars today are ‘connected’ — they’re like smartphones on wheels,” Biden said in a statement. “These cars are connected to our phones, navigation systems, critical infrastructure, and the companies that make them. Connected vehicles from China can collect sensitive data about our citizens and infrastructure and send that data back to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) .”

Senior administration officials told reporters on a call previewing the operation that they currently do not have an accurate count of how many country-related vehicles are in the United States, but that the number is “very, very small.”

“It’s typically vertically integrated, so you often see it in vehicles manufactured in China by Chinese companies. There are very, very few of these vehicles on U.S. roads today,” one official said.

Officials said the current operation would not involve imposing any bans or tariffs but would instead focus on gathering information about possible regulations.

“The point we’re really emphasizing is the importance of taking action before we see a large number of these vehicles on U.S. roads,” an official said. “With China’s auto export market growing rapidly and making strong progress in other areas, countries, It is important now, including for European countries, to assess national security risks.”

The technologies of greatest concern will be hardware and software in vehicles that can collect and transmit data and provide remote access capabilities that can be used for nefarious purposes.

One official said potential concerns could include privacy issues, such as the content of text messages or emails connected to car systems via a driver’s phone, and the possibility that an entity in Beijing could disable hundreds of thousands of China’s connected cars. On American roads.