Government Official Says MoD Examining Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Told to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, from transport use to communication practices.
