cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6404635
Britain faces a “silent vulnerability” from Chinese microchips embedded in growing numbers of everyday appliances and cars, a Labour MP has warned.
The reliance on Chinese components for remote-controlled appliances created the risk that vital household technology could be disabled by China, according to Graeme Downie, who chairs the Coalition on Secure Technology campaign group.
Downie argued it was not a theoretical risk but a “real vulnerability in the systems that power our homes, hospitals and national infrastructure” and said ministers must act to reduce the country’s reliance on Chinese microchips by investing in alternatives manufactured in the UK or in allied countries.
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The microchips transmit and receive information through computer networks, known as Chinese-made cellular IoT modules (CIMs). They enable real-time data transmission as well as remote control and predictive analytics. They have been described as “gateways to computers” and can be accessed by their manufacturer at any time.
Research by the Coalition on Secure Technology found that two thirds of all CIMs were supplied by a handful of Chinese firms: the Shanghai-based Quectel and, in Shenzhen, a city in southeast China often referred to as the country’s Silicon Valley, Kaifa Technology and Fibocom.
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Chinese companies are subject to strict regulatory requirements that compel them to act on instructions from the ruling Chinese Communist Party and state authorities. This is particularly the case for issues deemed important to national security, prompting concerns that embedding Chinese-manufactured devices in so much of Britain’s technology could hand Beijing the capacity to cause widespread disruption by disabling devices or entire networks. While the devices cannot be used to hack into systems remotely, they can be disabled and used to collect data.
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Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, and Charles Parton, a veteran diplomat, have warned that the dominance of Chinese companies in the IoT industry could allow Beijing to switch off Britain’s traffic lights and “immobilise London”.
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Tech companies have been using software updates to brick devices for ages now, amazing that MPs become frothing-at-the-mouth Stallmanists only when a Chinese company has this ability. The actual fix is to regulate the kind of software companies can install on devices and mandate that consumers can install alternative software (similar to the FSFE’s router freedom campaign), not finding a digital autocrat that Whitehall finds acceptable.
The energy sector is not just about kilowatts and carbon. It’s about sovereignty, security and resilience.
Thank god the grid isn’t owned by a bunch of shareholders that don’t care about security and resilience, right?
… only when a Chinese company has this ability.
Could it be that the Chinese Communist Party has long been well-known to for its coercion and bullying? Should certainly be fixed for all others, but this whataboutism works only when China is criticized.
I think it’s fair to point out that tech companies in allied countries already use these mechanisms against British consumers, that the government hasn’t taken action on it, and that making this out to be a problem unique to the Chinese technology industry is a misdiagnosis.
It’s absolutely fair to say that this vulnerability isn’t unique to Chinese tech and must be addressed regarding any tech, but the Chinese government isn’t definitely an ally. China’s political and economic coercion tactics have been well-known for decades, and it has become worse in the recent decade. It’s not a misdiagnosis therefore.
Edit for an addition: If this would be an article about US tech doing the same thing, would you also call it a ‘misdiagnosis’ because China is also a problem? I assume you wouldn’t. This kind of whataboutism works only in one direction.
Switching off the “smart” functionality won’t stop the meter from working or recording data.
The “dumb” recording functionality is separate.
The smart gas meter in my house didn’t report back for five years. I came out ahead on that in the end, I think.
