Chinese 'connected' cars are a national security threat, says Biden
- Reference: 1709233269
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/02/29/chinese_connected_cars_are_a/
- Source link:
In a [1]statement this morning, the US President said the fact that most modern automobiles are "like smartphones on wheels" meant cars made in China and sold in the US could collect sensitive data, transmit it overseas and even be remotely accessed or disabled.
"China imposes restrictions on American autos and other foreign autos operating in China," Biden said. "Why should connected vehicles from China be allowed to operate in our country without safeguards?"
[2]
The US president said he's putting the onus for sussing out the reality of the threat posed by Chinese automobiles on the Department of Commerce, which today [3]said it issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment on the matter.
[4]
[5]
"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," Biden said of the plan.
The Commerce Department says the ANPRM is to do with possible regulations to secure information and communications tech supply chains for connected vehicles which "may pose undue risks to critical infrastructure in the United States and unacceptable risks to national security."
[6]
"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 US citizens," said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "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."
Several US automakers, [7]including Ford and GM, already build cars in China for sale in the US market. It's not immediately clear if those vehicles will be subject to the same scrutiny as those manufactured by Chinese companies.
The ANPRM doesn't appear to be publicly available yet, and the Department of Commerce didn't immediately respond to questions for this story.
The ascendency of the Middle car Kingdom
The automobile business is booming in China, which could pose a major threat to US automakers.
Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD [8]surpassed Tesla as the top-selling EV maker last year, and China [9]reportedly exported more than five million vehicles last year, making it the largest exporter of vehicles in the world for the first time.
[10]
Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, which owns US auto brands Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and others, reportedly described Chinese carmakers as his top competitors in late January - with good reason.
[11]Chinese web giant Baidu unveils Level 4 robo-taxi that costs $75k to make
[12]Ford buys into Middle Kingdom market with China EV subsidiary
[13]China stops networked vehicle data going offshore under new infosec rules
[14]Alibaba smart electric vehicles now in mass production
[15]Per Motor Trend, nine Chinese automakers have set up shop in Mexico in the past three years, giving Chinese automakers - should they ever decide to pursue an entry in the US market - a direct and easy route in.
In just three short years of sales, Chinese cars have skyrocketed in popularity in Mexico, with around nine percent of vehicles sold in the country coming from Chinese brands. Chinese vehicles, according to Mexican news sources, [16]outsold US-made models in 2022.
China is also the [17]largest automobile market in the world, selling some 23.6 million cars in 2022, while Americans only bought around half that in the same period. Reduced sales have also led to [18]slipping production numbers in the US auto industry as well.
In other words, China is rapidly becoming the center of the global automobile industry, and the US is starting to worry not only about national security but also an industry fundamental to the American identity.
"As president I vowed to do right by auto workers and middle-class families that depend on the auto industry for jobs," Biden said today. "With this and other actions, we're going to make sure the future of the auto industry will be made here in America with American workers." ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/29/statement-from-president-biden-on-addressing-national-security-risks-to-the-u-s-auto-industry/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZeEMmlv6RYB9IAK2HkYlOQAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2024/02/citing-national-security-concerns-biden-harris-administration-announces
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZeEMmlv6RYB9IAK2HkYlOQAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZeEMmlv6RYB9IAK2HkYlOQAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZeEMmlv6RYB9IAK2HkYlOQAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.carscoops.com/2023/09/would-you-care-if-your-car-was-built-in-china/
[8] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/02/chinas-byd-overtakes-tesla-as-top-selling-electric-car-seller
[9] https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/22/china-poses-growing-threat-to-us-auto-industry.html#:~:text=American%20companies%2C%20such%20as%20GM,Lincoln%20Nautilus%20crossover%20from%20China.
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZeEMmlv6RYB9IAK2HkYlOQAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/18/baidu_apollo_moon_robotaxi/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/28/ford_china_electric_car/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/13/china_networked_car_rules/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/07/alibaba_smart_electric_vehicles/
[15] https://www.motortrend.com/features/motortrend-investigates-chinese-cars-in-mexico-is-usa-next/
[16] https://mexico-now.com/china-is-the-main-supplier-of-cars-to-mexico/
[17] https://www.kbb.com/car-news/chinese-automakers-inch-closer-to-american-market/
[18] https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-manufacturing-output-dragged-down-by-motor-vehicle-weakness-2022-12-15/
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Came to say the same thing
I don't want China to be able to disable my car as part of a tit for tat if they invaded Taiwan and the US was helping Taiwan defend itself. But I wouldn't want a US or EU based automaker to have that power EITHER.
Because if they have that power, that means hackers could potentially gain that power, or my government could force them to use it against me. They'd say they are taking that power "for the children" (i.e. disable a vehicle identified during an "Amber Alert") but that's always how it starts. Pretty soon they are disabling your car because you have $100 in unpaid parking tickets or because your wife said something mean to the police chief's wife and she went crying to her husband.
Are the United States
so insecure that everywhere they look they see a threat to "National Security?
Well, here is another one. Honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up...
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-67662779
I like Americans.
They’re funny!
"issued an advanced notice". Surely a simple notice is all that's required. It's all that's needed if you intend to issue an advance notice.
Who Is Listening In To Cars Phoning Home???......
Person A advertises their nearly new Jaguar for sale.
Person B turns up and buys the car......private sale.......no problems.
Later, Person B takes the Jaguar to a dealer for maintenance.
Huge row......."We cannot do the work. You, Person B, are not the Jaguar-registered owner."
More rows......Jaguar-central tell Person B that the ownership transfer, and by implication the sale, could ONLY BE DONE BY A JAGUAR DEALER.
Person A in the mean time is still getting regular messaging from Jaguar about the long gone Jaguar.
And, of course, this story takes ABSOLUTELY NO ACCOUNT of all the "phoning home" being done by the vehicle in the mean time.....all that "phoning home" in the name of Person A!!!!!
*** To get to the point -- ANY CAR BUILT ANYWHERE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IS PHONING HOME 24/7......GPS position, speed, number of occupants, interior video, exterior video....who knows?
*** It's anyone's guess who is listing in to this vehicle "phoning home" ..... but the Chinese authorities would be way down my list!! Further up would be Jaguar-central...then NSA, the FBI, GCHQ......and other Five Ears folk!!!!
Quote (William Burroughs): "The paranoid is a person who knows a little of what is going on."
Re: Who Is Listening In To Cars Phoning Home???......
Thank goodness for my lovely Morris 1000 Traveller!!!
There is way too much 'Because they can' in todays vehicles,
that does not serve to enhance safety. In fact can be a distraction from any attempted safety features.
The distracting beeping and flashing RED warnings of eminent crashes, AFTER the driver has already recognized, and is reacting to the situation.
Like when you are in the outside lane and the vehicle, ahead is you is in the inside lane, puts on their left turn signal and slows down to make a left hand turn and you are warned of an imminent, major crash when there is no possibility of such.
On a related note, the unrelenting e-mails and snail-mail from Sirius wanting you to pay $19.95 a month for their music, when you already have an AM/FM radio with HD radio in your vehicle. Plus being able to plug in your own music for free. They can't seem to understand "NO!", to well past the point of making it hard to drop their 'service', should you be suckered in.
Re: There is way too much 'Because they can' in todays vehicles,
Driving SWMBO's today. It has forward pointing cameras looking for white lines & so forth. Country road with no foortpath but no traffic. A dog walker on the left verge. Pull over to giver them a wide berth. Flashing warnings on the dash. At least it wasn't "smart" enough to try to take over the steering.
Why restrict it to Chinese connected cars? I know of a lot of people who are concerned about cars from *any* manufacturer that are connected to goodness knows what these days.