The Biden administration is proposing a rule to block the sale and import of Chinese- and Russian-made connected-vehicle hardware and software, potentially bolstering U.S. security against a hacking threat the Commerce Department describes as “very real.”
The proposed ban is intended to protect vehicles that can communicate externally via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular or satellite systems, a feature that is becoming increasingly common in new vehicles. Officials said these systems are at risk of foreign interference, which could lead to disruption and sabotage.
“This is not about trade or economic advantage. This is strictly a national security action,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters in a call. “We are addressing the national security threat, a very real threat, that connected vehicles pose to our country and the American people.”
