Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Staff Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.
A defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
