Commerce Department to investigate security risks posed by cars made in China

A model poses for photographers with China’s EV maker BYD’s electric vehicle “DOLPHIN.” U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday directed the Commerce Department to investigate the threat posed by vehicles from China and other countries of concern.

Feb. 29 (UPI) — President Joe Biden on Thursday directed the Commerce Department to open an investigation into the national security risks posed by “connected” vehicles made in China and other “countries of concern.”

The investigation will center on how, and if, technology that affects everything from personal data, emissions and GPS devices could affect security.

“China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “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.”

The White House said navigational tools, driver assistance devices, carbon emission and charging tools could be in danger of manipulation.

“These autos are constantly connecting with personal devices, other car, U.S. infrastructure and their original manufacturer,” the White House said. “New vulnerabilities and threats could arise with connected autos if a foreign government gained access to these vehicles’ systems or data.”

The White House said such Internet-connected vehicles could collect large sums of personal information from drivers and their passengers and record information about U.S. infrastructure.

“Most cars these days are ‘connected,'” Biden said. “They’re like smartphones on wheels. 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.”

The White House said China already restricts U.S. autos on their roads along with other foreign vehicles. The administration said the action is the first step from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, created to protect domestic information and communications technology.

The announcement came a day after Biden signed an executive order establishing safeguards to protect Americans’ sensitive personal data from nations of concern.

The efforts aim to cover genomic data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data and other personal identification data.