Don't charge your phone in a Chinese electric car, UK defence firms warn amid 'security data fears'
Defence firms have told staff to stop charging their phones in Chinese-made electric cars over security concerns, it was reported last night.
Bosses at two of Britain's top defence companies have said the sector is taking a 'cautious' and 'belt and braces' approach to the possibility that the Chinese state could be spying on cars using electric vehicles.
Measures taken to reduce the likelihood of sensitive national security data being stolen include avoiding parking in production plant car parks, as well as a ban on connecting mobile phones via Bluetooth or a charging cable.
Firms thought to have taken such precautions include BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, according to the i newspaper.
One defence firm said: 'The sale of Chinese cars is growing in the UK, and we are, rightly, cautious about that. We are making our staff aware of the sensible precautions to take.'
After Donald Trump imposed international tariffs on China, the prices for electric cars from the country into the US have doubled, which experts believe could open the doors for more of these cheap EVs to flood the UK.
Joseph Jarnecki, a research fellow in cyber and technology at the Royal United Service Institute, explained that considering defence firms are targets for espionage, they are taking measures given historical evidence of Chinese espionage efforts.
Although the UK has seen a number of Chinese brands sell their cars, which include BYD, Ora, Geely and XPENG, but Chinese manufacturers also own brands such as MG, Volvo and Polestar.
A spokesman for XPENG, which recently launched its all-electric G6 SUV in the UK, denied its cars spy on drivers.
Under the country's National Intelligence Law, Chinese firms are required to work with state intelligence work should they be requested.
But others have said it is unlikely the Chinese state will risk the impact to reputation should brands be associated with international spying.
James Bore, managing director of cyber technology firm Bores Group, said: 'There are theoretical attacks which allow your phone or your devices to be compromised through plugging them into a charger, but these have been shown under lab conditions, and I have seen no evidence that it has ever actually happened in the wild.
'The moment it does, the Chinese car company market collapses, and that's not the sort of economic upheaval that China really wants.'
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