WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Polish military has banned Chinese cars from entering military facilities in hopes of preventing the collection of sensitive data by technologically advanced automobiles.
Modern vehicles equipped with sophisticated sensors and communications systems are capable of “uncontrolled acquisition and use of data,” the Polish military wrote in a statement justifying the ban. Vehicles are now able to collect video, sound and location and there are fears that Chinese manufacturers may share some of this potentially sensitive data with their authorities.
The Polish military said all cars capable of recording location, video and sound will be banned in secure military areas until those functions are turned off, meaning the new restrictions do not only apply to Chinese products.
Connecting official Army phones to the infotainment system is also prohibited in any vehicle manufactured in China.
The measures introduced are preventive and in line with practices used by other NATO countries, the military said.
The Army also said it is considering technical solutions to enable manufacturers of cars with such advanced features to seek security clearance, which could potentially be used in the future, instead of a complete ban.
According to Warsaw-based market research firm IBMR Summer, the presence of Chinese vehicles on the Polish market has grown significantly over the past years, with Chinese models representing more than 8% of new registered cars in Poland last year.
At the same time, the US and its European partners are making efforts to protect sensitive technology and information from foreign espionage, including by China.
Responding to earlier reports that Poland was preparing such a ban, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in January that China was monitoring the developments and that abuse of the national security concept should be prevented.
