Government Official States MoD Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is โinvestigatingโ cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if youโre driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what weโve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what weโre investigating at the moment.โ
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a โextremely riskyโ act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
