A group of 14 House lawmakers in the U.S. have sent letters to 10 self-driving technology companies operating autonomous fleets locally to see how they handle data collected during tests.
The letters from the bipartisan group of lawmakers were sent to firms including Baidu, AutoX, Didi Chuxing, Nio, Pony.ai, and Xpeng. Media members who have viewed the letters state lawmakers have requested answers on if data collected in the U.S. is shared with the Chinese government or any entities affiliated with China.
Additionally, the lawmakers have asked for the type of information collected by autonomous vehicles, if this data is shared or sold, and how long the data is kept, adding that they want these details by November 29. Auto News notes that the group is particularly concerned with China’s ability to “exploit America’s lack of a comprehensive data privacy and security law to obtain sensitive information collected.”
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“From 2014 to 2017, the CCP passed several laws requiring all Chinese companies to provide CCP officials access to user data,” the letters state. “Further, all Chinese companies must comply with the laws of the CCP, which in some cases has been described as a ‘require[ment] to build [their] networks in such a way as where the Chinese government has access.'”
The group also said that “there needs to be greater transparency around what information you collect while testing on American roads, and whether you are financially tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through a golden share or other financial stake.”
This is not the first time that a group of prominent U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern over the growing number of Chinese companies testing autonomous vehicles in the country. In July, four Congress members sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg claiming the country is at risk of “ceding a serious strategic advantage” by not banning Chinese companies from testing self-driving systems in the U.S.
