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The US government is trying to ban the Chinese social network TikTok in its jurisdiction amid concerns about the collection of information about its citizens. They are also trying to stop all similar methods of possible "espionage". For this reason, a ban on the operation of vehicles in the United States that use autopilot systems developed in China or created in other unfriendly countries is being prepared.
Informed sources told Reuters that the US Department of Commerce will come up with relevant initiatives in the coming weeks. If the proposed amendments to the US law are adopted, the operation of vehicles with software of the third level of autonomy and above, developed in China or other unfriendly countries, will be prohibited on the territory of the country. At the same time, testing of such vehicles in the US will be prohibited. Since Chinese software is mainly used in Chinese cars, such a ban will be another barrier to Chinese electric cars entering the US market, in addition to the rising tariffs in the near term.
A related initiative is considering a proposal to ban the US from using automotive systems based on Chinese-made data transmission means. Essentially, this could limit access to US roads and cars that are not related to Chinese brands and Chinese software developers. American regulators have expressed concerns about the ability of modern cars to monitor citizens using on-board cameras, as well as eavesdrop on their conversations while inside the cabin. If you take into account that many Chinese cars equipped with advanced assistants have a video camera facing the interior, then such a threat is purely technically realized. American officials are also worried about the possibility of intercepting the control of such vehicles through remote access to on-board electronics. Industry representatives are expected to have the opportunity to participate in public hearings on the issue.
A meeting involving representatives of various US government agencies took place last Friday, where they discussed a plan to introduce restrictions on the use of software of Chinese origin in vehicles operated in the US. The event was attended by representatives of Australia, Canada, the EU, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Great Britain, who expressed their views on this issue. Prototypes of autonomous vehicles from ten Chinese companies are now driving on US roads, and their potential threat to national security was already mentioned by an initiative group of US parliamentarians last November.
