WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department is expected on Monday to propose prohibiting Chinese software and hardware in connected and autonomous vehicles on American roads due to national security concerns, two sources told Reuters.
The Biden administration has raised serious concerns about the collection of data by Chinese companies on U.S. drivers and infrastructure as well as the potential foreign manipulation of vehicles connected to the internet and navigation systems.
The proposed regulation would ban the import and sale of vehicles from China with key communications or automated driving system software or hardware, said the two sources, who declined to be identified because the decision had not been publicly disclosed.
The move is a significant escalation in the United States’ ongoing restrictions on Chinese vehicles, software and components. Last week, the Biden administration locked in steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports, including a 100% duty on electric vehicles as well as new hikes on EV batteries and key minerals.
Did we all forget about the study from Mozilla on vehicle data collection?
The fact of the matter is that every single new connected product is collecting data on anyone who uses it. Once the data is collected, it’s sold. Once it’s on the market, that data is used by every country. China will eventually get data on US drivers regardless of what make they drive, the US government just wants first dibs.
I’m not one of those people who think that China and Russia are some kind of utopic ideal we should all be working towards. The US government is also not a shining beacon of ethics.Yeah, obviously it’s not the point, but I would love a ban on car data collection instead.
Given how much lobbying power the American automotive industry has, I don’t think that will ever happen.
It’s weird how they charge you $40k for a car, which almost every American needs just to survive, sell your data in addition to that, and still need to be bailed out by the taxpayer regularly.
I want them to write an actual KOSA bill that would introduce privacy laws and would prevent this stuff. But nah it’s more like Kill Online Safety Act and do nothing about the more real problems.
They probably would if they weren’t being payed by lobby groups not to. Or at least one would hope they would.
I wish they’d propose a mandate on having the option for disconnected vehicles sold in the US, instead. Privacy-conscious people should not have to resort to finding and disconnecting antennas to reclaim privacy from sketchy data collection. I get that China is the big bad wolf in this discussion, but American companies are just as bad with the data hoarding and erosion of privacy.
Effectively just a ban on Chinese EV’s to protect American car companies that can’t keep up with them.
Id be fine with it if they repeal the chicken tax
I’m opposed to connected vehicles
No! You don’t understand. It’s all about the scary CPC spying on you. Wholesome American, European, and Japanese corporations spying on you would never misuse that information.
That’s not even on the table. The only thing Americans care about is the potential for Chinese surveillance. The potential for American surveillance and corporate surveillance (particularly for insurance companies) is considered a huge windfall that they’ll fight to continue.
Hell, I can see a future in which your car won’t even start without an internet connection.
I’m opposed to vehicles
Critical support for the US becoming more insular and cutting itself off from high end technology.
the optimal approach would be to embrace public transport and let cars go the way of carthorses.
This probably can’t be great news for Chinese-owned Volvo.
How would that even work? There is so much open source software in cars where you have no idea where the programmer is from. Best example https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/XZ_Utils_backdoor
They definitely got their priorities set straight.
How about we ban software in cars in general, beyond basic engine control.
There’s plenty of useful software in cars: collision avoidance systems, automatic braking systems, pedestrian detection systems, etc. Personally I love android auto / carplay for my audio books for my commute.
Nortel’s revenge?
This has a fair reason. If war were to break out the Chinese government could, hypothetically, hijack, kill, or break all their cars in the country.
then don’t go to war with china. people talk like the chinese would go attacking for no reason.
They would make all their EV’s explode with their supply chain implanted plastic explosives!
