A senior military intelligence officer from the Czech Republic is raising concerns about Chinese electric vehicles, cautioning that they can “collect data and faces” while in operation.
Jan Beroun, the head of the Czech Republic’s Military Intelligence agency, alerted the Czech Parliament earlier this week that Chinese electric vehicles on their roads might be gathering information for China’s government, labeling the country as “their enemy.”
“[If] we allow Chinese electric cars here, we permit a mobile sensor that collects data wherever it goes, and we appear to be complacent.”
“I state with full responsibility that we are losing oversight of what is on our streets, what is collecting data and faces all around the neighborhood,” Beroun emphasized.
Beroun noted that there is currently no regulation for Chinese EVs nor a way to trace where this data is being sent. He added that “the way China acts, from a security and espionage perspective, makes it our enemy,” Beroun said.
The Czech military official highlighted that each electric vehicle, along with some modern cars, is equipped with high-definition cameras capable of capturing data for the Chinese government, which is recognized for being a “surveillance state.” Chinese companies are mandated to comply with their government.
“Every Chinese product that has the capability to gather data (electric cars, mobile phones, tablets, etc.) poses a security threat,” said Ladislav Sticha, spokesman for the Czech Security Information Service. “The collected data could potentially end up with Chinese intelligence services.”
Automotive expert Mike Caudill informed Fox Business in April that Americans should “definitely be worried” about the possibility of Chinese EVs in the U.S. collecting data and sending it to the Chinese government.
The United States has already advised against importing Chinese EVs, and President Joe Biden has imposed a 100% tariff on them due to concerns that the country might undermine the U.S.’s efforts in the electric vehicle sector with low-cost products.
