An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from transport use to communication habits.
