Latest news with #CharlesParton
Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Embedded Chinese tech ‘could freeze cars and traffic lights'
China could switch off Britain's traffic lights and 'immobilise London' because its companies control so much crucial technology in the UK, MPs have been warned. Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, and Charles Parton, a veteran diplomat, said that Chinese companies dominate the industry of microchips that are embedded in technology — known as 'the internet of things' (IoT). These are devices in objects such as appliances and vehicles that transmit and receive information through computer networks, known as Chinese-made cellular IoT modules (CIMs). They can be embedded in household items such as fridges, speakers and air fryers or physical infrastructure such as traffic light systems and electric cars in order to connect with other devices through the internet. At an event in parliament hosted by the Coalition on Secure Technology, Dearlove and Parton warned MPs that these 'gateways to computers' are everywhere and potentially can be accessed by their manufacturer at any time. Given that they are mostly owned by Chinese companies, they have obligations to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including to play a role in national security. Both Dearlove and Parton warned that this relationship could be exploited for the use of spying devices or to cause disruption. Parton, a former diplomat who spent 22 years working in China and is a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, pointed out that CIMs are in systems including routers and financial terminals. Possible scenarios included causing gridlock by using CIMs to 'turn off the traffic light system', according to a source at the briefing on Monday night. • Steel war shows extent of China's grip on UK's critical infrastructure Dearlove also warned about the potential for CIMs in energy infrastructure to shut down the national grid and cause blackouts. He said that Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles were basically computers on wheels that could be remotely reprogrammed at any time and suggested that there was the potential to 'immobilise London'. He also pointed out that the CCP wants to make China the world's leading superpower by the middle of the century and is intent on using non-military means to do so — making science and technology the 'battlefield'. The session was chaired by Graeme Downie, a Labour MP and chairman of the Coalition on Secure Technology. • Chinese-made electric cars in UK could be jammed remotely by Beijing Intelligence officials have repeatedly warned of the increased threat from Beijing, and a report last year said that China had infiltrated virtually every sector of the British economy. An economic security review carried out by parliament last year was told that electric vehicles could be controlled, adjusted and ultimately even stopped by manufacturers behind the CIMs could be exploited by China if its relationship with the UK badly deteriorated, according to a previous warning by Dearlove. Beijing, which has ambitious plans to expand sales of Chinese-made cars in Europe, could also use the cars to steal sensitive data from motorists.
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
China has ‘secretly embedded microchips' across UK capable of bringing country to standstill, MPs warned
CHINA could bring Britain to a standstill by switching off traffic lights and freezing electric vehicles, MPs were warned. Beijing has secretly embedded microchips across UK infrastructure that could be weaponised to trigger blackouts, experts claimed at a private briefing in Parliament. 2 2 Ex-MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove and veteran diplomat Charles Parton told a dozen Labour MPs the threat lies in Chinese-made CIMs - control interface modules - which act as 'gateways to computers' and are already found in vehicles, routers and payment terminals. Mr Parton warned the Communist regime could use them to 'turn off the traffic light system' or remotely paralyse electric cars to block roads and cripple supply chains. Sir Richard added that Chinese electric vehicles were essentially 'computers on wheels' and could be reprogrammed at any moment - raising the alarming prospect they could be used to 'immobilise London'. The session, hosted by Labour MP and chair of the Coalition on Secure Technology Graeme Downie, focused on China's push to dominate the world through non-military means - using science and technology as its 'battlefield'.
