US bans Chinese and Russian software and hardware in cars

The United States Department of Commerce has issued a rule that will ban the use of Russian and Chinese software in passenger cars that are marketed in the country. As is customary when issuing this type of regulations, the argument cited is to help “national security.”

The trade war in the automobile industry It is climbing new levels and is going to harm the long-suffering consumers. Although the high degree of protectionism in such a liberal and capitalist world is paradoxical, depending on the winds and commercial interest, each and every one of them sets their strategies. Now it’s time for what they call the connected car. And they do not have to be autonomous and/or electric cars, since the “connected” chapter can include practically almost any of the new models that hit the market.

Although the president-elect, Donald Trump, has already announced that he would introduce new tariffs to stop the presence of Chinese cars in his country and boost its own industry, it must be said that the rule in question has been one of the last decisions of the administration of Biden.

Getting into the matter. Outgoing Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has argued that «Today, cars are not just steel on wheels, they are computers. “They have cameras, microphones, GPS tracking and other technologies that are connected to the Internet,” explains to defend a norm that claims to be “a necessary step to safeguard the national security of the United States and protect the privacy of Americans by preventing foreign adversaries from manipulating these technologies to access sensitive or personal information.”

A senior administration official told reporters on a conference call that the auto industry was largely on board with this regulation: “Malicious access to these critical supply chains could allow our foreign adversaries to extract sensitive data, including personal information about drivers or vehicle owners, and remotely manipulate vehicles.”.

And they go further citing the security of the data of the millions of connected vehicles that will circulate on the roads in the coming years, «given the enormous amount of sensitive personal dataincluding geolocation data, audio, video recordings and other live data that is collected connected through these vehicles.

The rule will prohibit the use of Russian and Chinese software in cars sold in the country. Software lock will apply to models from 2027while the hardware one will apply to those that reach the market in 2030. The standard applies only to passenger vehicles, although it will also be extended to commercial vehicles in the future.

The rule also prohibits manufacturers with a sufficient link to the People’s Republic of China or Russia from selling new connected vehicles incorporating VCS hardware or software or ADS software in the United States, even if the vehicle was manufactured in the country.