Autonomous Vehicles Join the List of US National Security Threats

Amid rising concerns about China's growing international data collection apparatus, a newly divided US Congress is applying fresh scrutiny to the possibility that imported Chinese technology could be a Trojan horse. In a letter to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, shared exclusively with WIRED, Representative August Pfluger asks some tough questions as to whether Washington is really prepared for the security threat posed by the coming influx of Chinese-made smart and autonomous vehicles (AVs) to the United States. "I remain concerned that a lack of US oversight in AV technology has opened the door for a foreign nation to spy on American soil, as Chinese companies potentially transfer critical data to the People's Republic of China," Pfluger writes. While AV technology may be some years away from widespread commercial use, pilot projects are already on the roads around the world. As of earlier this year, more than 1,000 AutoX autonomous taxis were on the roads in California.