Polish army bans Chinese vehicles from military premises

The Polish army has banned Chinese cars from entering military facilities, hoping to prevent the collection of sensitive data by technologically advanced automobiles.

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Modern vehicles equipped with cutting-edge sensors and communication systems are capable of “uncontrolled acquisition and use of data,” the Polish army wrote in a statement justifying the ban.

Vehicles are now able to collect video, sound and location, and there is a fear that Chinese producers might share some of this potentially sensitive data with their authorities.

All cars capable of recording location, video and sound will be banned from secure military areas unless those functions are switched off, the Polish army said, meaning that the new restrictions do not apply to Chinese products alone.

It is also prohibited to connect official army phones to infotainment systems in any vehicle produced in China. The measures introduced are preventative, the army said, and are consistent with practices used by other NATO countries.

The army also said it was looking into technical solutions to enable producers of cars with such advanced functions to ask for security clearance, which could potentially be used in the future instead of a blanket ban.

The presence of Chinese vehicles on the Polish market has expanded significantly in recent years, with Chinese models representing over 8% of newly registered cars in Poland last year, according to Warsaw-based market research firm IBRM Samar.

At the same time, the U.S. and its European partners have been making efforts to protect sensitive technology and information from foreign snooping, including by China.

Responding to earlier reports that Poland might be preparing such a ban, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, told reporters in January that China was following the developments and that the abuse of the concept of national security must be stopped.