Select committee on China investigating security threat posed by modules that can shut down vehicles
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party inquired this week about a possible national security threat posed by cellular connectivity modules tied to two Chinese companies.
Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission on Monday requesting the agency provide relevant information on the possible Chinese threat. The congressmen expressed concern that the "internet of things" modules — which connect to the internet in electric cars, medical equipment, and tractors, among many other devices — could be turned off by China if the nation wished to do so.
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“If the CCP can control the module, it may be able to effectively exfiltrate data or shut down the IoT device,” the letter read. “This raises particularly grave concerns in the context of critical infrastructure and any type of sensitive data.”
Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi named Quectel and Fibocom as the two main China-based companies that provide the modules to the U.S. for use in technology. According to the committee, Chinese companies dominate 45% of the world’s IoT module industry.
Chinese companies like @Quectel_IoT and @Fibocom_IoT dominate 45% of the world's IoT module market.
— The Select Committee on the CCP (@committeeonccp) August 8, 2023
Because of this, the Chinese Communist Party could access many of the devices Americans use - from cars, to medical equipment & critical infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/LdwTSYXJ0J
Quectel supplies the connectivity modules to international firms, and Fibocom provides services to individuals who collaborate with tech companies, the letter states. These modules can also be reportedly found in toy dolls.
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— The Select Committee on the CCP (@committeeonccp) August 8, 2023
CCP-aligned companies @Quectel_IoT & @Fibocom_IoT control and could access 45% of the world’s cellular internet modules that connect dolls and other devices like cars, medical equipment, and critical infrastructure to the internet. pic.twitter.com/DSG9bRobll
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The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has the authority to “investigate and submit policy recommendations on the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress and its competition with the United States.”
The committee submitted questions to the FCC, and the agency has until Aug. 21 to respond.