For ads-free news, click here.
From Breitbart: As Chinese companies test their autonomous vehicles on American roads, concerns are growing about the vast amounts of data these “rolling surveillance devices” are collecting and the potential national security implications.
Fortune reports that in recent years, Chinese-owned companies have been quietly testing their self-driving cars on American roads, particularly in California. While this may seem like a harmless part of technological advancement, experts are raising alarms about the potential national security risks associated with these vehicles.
Since 2017, self-driving cars owned by Chinese companies have traversed 1.8 million miles in California alone, according to data from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with advanced cameras, sensors, and mapping technology, are capable of collecting massive amounts of data about their surroundings, including detailed video footage and precise geospatial information.
The report explains that out of 35 companies approved to test autonomous vehicles in California, “seven are wholly or partly China-based. Five of these companies — WeRide, Apollo, AutoX, Pony.ai, and DiDi Research America — were active on California roads last year. Some of these companies also have permission to test in other states like Arizona and Texas.”
Experts also are warning that some Chinese self-driving car companies appear to store U.S. data in China.
“At the time [of the spy balloon], around 30 cars owned by Chinese companies and equipped with cameras and mapping technology were navigating the streets of greater Los Angeles,” the Fortune report states.
NEW: Chinese self-driving cars have traveled 1.8 million miles on US roads
“At the time [of the spy balloon], around 30 cars owned by Chinese companies and equipped with cameras and mapping technology were navigating the streets of greater Los Angeles.”https://t.co/luKSPxICmu
— Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (@committeeonccp) July 8, 2024
