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Chinese Watchdog Wants Tight Regulations On Connected Vehicles

By  |  September 15, 2021

China’s industry ministry published a notice on Thursday telling companies to step up cyber and data security oversight over connected vehicles, saying that security risks in the industry had become increasingly prominent, reported Reuters.

All relevant companies should establish data security management systems and regularly assess risks from network attacks, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement.

Last month, US electric car maker Tesla came under scrutiny in China when the military banned its cars from entering its complexes, citing security concerns over vehicle cameras, sources told Reuters at the time.

Days later, founder Elon Musk appeared by video at a high-level Chinese forum, saying that if Tesla used cars to spy in China or anywhere, it would be shut down.

The rules released on the website of the National Information Security Standardization Technical Committee would forbid companies from processing data from cars that is not related to vehicle management or driving safety.