Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Advised to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
