The tension between the US and China is arguably getting worse. One of the biggest movies against the latter has been the ban of TikTok, which is already being disputed, and now, vehicles have to be reviewed out of fear that they may also be used to spy on US citizens.
Vehicles from China Required to be Reviewed
With the US being suspicious of the things that come from, are based in, or are manufactured in China, even vehicles are now supposed to receive a thorough review before they can be allowed to enter the US market, and the new bill will make sure of that.
The Congressional legislation was proposed by Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who was a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official. It was done so just this Wednesday and is officially called the Connected Vehicle National Security Review Act, as per Engadget.
If the bill is passed into law, then a formal review process will become a requirement for all vehicles from Chinese companies. That means that the Department of Commerce will also have the power or either limit or ban certain models or brands in the US should they see fit.
Slotkin is convinced that with the technological advancement we have had in vehicles, it's possible for them to be used to spy on drivers. Since vehicles are used by all kinds of people, including government officials, that can be dangerous.
"Today's vehicles are more sophisticated than ever, carrying cameras, radars and other sophisticated sensors, plus the ability to process, transmit, and store the data they gather from the United States," she stressed.
Slotkin added that the Chinese vehicles were allowed into US markets, Chinese-connected vehicles would provide the Chinese government with "a treasure trove of valuable intelligence on the United States."
That includes the potential gathering of information on military bases, critical infrastructure like the power grid and traffic systems, or locating certain US leaders if they choose to. It's also not that big of a leap that people would choose Chinese vehicles given that they tend to be cheaper.
Tension Between China and the US
The conflict between the two nations is no secret, especially since several companies have already been affected by legislation and policies created for the sake of national security. The measures have grown drastic over the years, including the ban of a popular app.
With strong suspicions that TikTok was being used to monitor US citizens, as well as spread propaganda through the platform. Even before that, the US government has been vigilant after the Chinese balloon incident in 2023.
It managed to gather intelligence from sensitive US military sites, as reported by NBC News, and that was already after the Biden administration tried to block it. With collection via electronic signals, some of the information that could've been collected includes communications from personnel.
