Government Official States MoD Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Staff Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
