The U.S. Government has announced it is to investigate the potential risks to national security that may arise from connected vehicles that use technology that comes from ‘countries of concern’.
“Most cars these days are “connected” – they are like smart phones on wheels. These cars are connected to our phones, to navigation systems, to critical infrastructure, and to the companies that made them,” said President Biden in a statement. “Connected vehicles from China could collect sensitive data about our citizens and our infrastructure and send this data back to the People’s Republic of China. These vehicles could be remotely accessed or disabled . . . ”
“So today, I am announcing unprecedented actions to ensure that cars on U.S. roads from countries of concern like China do not undermine our national security. I have directed my Secretary of Commerce to conduct an investigation into connected vehicles with technology from countries of concern and to take action to respond to the risks.”
The U.S. Department of Commerce
issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment as it considers potential regulations on the matter.
“It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to think of how foreign government with access to connected vehicles could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the personal privacy of U.S. citizens.”
said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a press release.
“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 . . .”
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (March 2024)
14 March 2024