Select committee on China investigating security threat posed by modules that can shut down vehicles
David Zimmermann
Video Embed
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party inquired this week about a possible national security threat posed by cellular connectivity modules tied to two Chinese companies.
Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission on Monday requesting the agency provide relevant information on the possible Chinese threat. The congressmen expressed concern that the “internet of things” modules — which connect to the internet in electric cars, medical equipment, and tractors, among many other devices — could be turned off by China if the nation wished to do so.
MOODY’S DOWNGRADES SEVERAL US BANKS AMID ‘ONGOING STRAIN’ IN THE BANKING SECTOR
“If the CCP can control the module, it may be able to effectively exfiltrate data or shut down the IoT device,” the letter read. “This raises particularly grave concerns in the context of critical infrastructure and any type of sensitive data.”
Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi named Quectel and Fibocom as the two main China-based companies that provide the modules to the U.S. for use in technology. According to the committee, Chinese companies dominate 45% of the world’s IoT module industry.
Quectel supplies the connectivity modules to international firms, and Fibocom provides services to individuals who collaborate with tech companies, the letter states. These modules can also be reportedly found in toy dolls.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has the authority to “investigate and submit policy recommendations on the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress and its competition with the United States.”
The committee submitted questions to the FCC, and the agency has until Aug. 21 to respond.