The U.S. autonomous vehicle industry, like any other industry, relies on a supply chain that spans the globe, collecting automotive hardware and raw materials from countless other countries.
Typically, a global supply chain is a positive sign of cost optimization and connectivity, but these benefits should not obscure national security considerations. In the United States, autonomous vehicle companies such as Waymo have become vessels for Chinese products to enter the factories, streets, and garages of America.
Chinese autonomous vehicles create an opportunity for the Chinese Communist Party to collect intelligence on American infrastructure and, more importantly, on drivers. Waymo uses cameras, lidar, and radar to identify road signs and crossing pedestrians, ensuring a safe ride. Much of this technology, however, comes directly from Zeekr, a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which is chaired by a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
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As a result of Article 7 of the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China (enacted in 2017), all citizens and companies are compelled to cooperate with China’s intelligence service. Each citizen and company is mandated to collect information, as a form of codified corporate espionage, on any foreign organizations and individuals they come in contact with. Additionally, a Chinese cybersecurity law from 2017 demands that intelligence agencies have constant access to the networks and data of companies within China, and allows them to conduct “cybersecurity reviews” of U.S. companies at will. These laws and others like them expose grave problems with incorporating Chinese products into vehicles, which are supposed to prioritize safety and security for American riders.
The connection between Waymo and the CPPCC calls into question the security of these AVs and the information these machines collect. These cars have the ability to capture information about the physical roads, buildings, and traffic patterns of America. They can also collect personal information about the individuals who ride in them. Consider the phone calls, addresses, and other personal data that can pass through a modern car’s infotainment system (the computer housed in your vehicle). Now, consider what the CCP could learn if a policymaker rode in an AV whose database they had access to.
Multiple U.S. policymakers have highlighted this national security risk, calling into question the practices of Waymo and any other companies that might consider including advanced Chinese technology in their products. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, wrote about how technology, which is essential to any self-driving car, collects information that could be harmful to Americans if made available to the CCP.
More recently, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) questioned the chief safety officer of Waymo, Mauricio Pena, in a Senate Commerce, Science, & Technology Committee hearing on Feb. 4, 2026. Moreno argued Waymo was not being transparent about which pieces of its vehicles were from Zeekr (and therefore China). Pena claimed that, though certain parts originated in China, there was no security risk as the equipment that could collect information (tracking equipment, sensors, etc.) is allegedly assembled within the U.S.
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Regardless of which automotive parts can claim China as their birthplace, Waymo cannot deny that its products contain Chinese machinery. This machinery opens the door for intelligence collection on Americans who own AV’s, ride in them, or come into contact with them by means of their several sensors and cameras that constantly scan, respond, and collect.
U.S. manufacturers such as NVIDIA or Carnegie Robotics should consider this security concern as a competitive advantage. If U.S. companies can provide trusted automotive parts for U.S. autonomous vehicles, then more Americans could drive hands-free, unconcerned about being monitored without their consent.
Eleanor Bogue is a writer with Young Voices, a nonprofit talent agency, and a student at the Catholic University of America.