China’s Industry Ministry Urges Companies to Strengthen Data Control on Connected Vehicles

Traffic moves along a street decorated with national flags during the national holiday in Wuhan, China, on Oct. 1, 2020. Getty Images

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) industry ministry published a notice on Thursday urging companies to ensure the security of data generated by connected vehicles, saying that security risks in the industry had become increasingly prominent.

Connected cars with moving networks, also known as the “internet of cars,” allow bi-directional communications between vehicles and help drivers navigate the roads.

“Connected vehicle security systems need to be improved,” the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement, adding that all relevant companies should establish data security management systems and regularly assess risks from network attacks, including securely updating vehicle software online.

Enterprises must not provide domestically generated and collected data overseas, such as real-time locations, roads, and buildings. The information would not be allowed to leave the country unless approved by authorities, it said.

The regime expected the overall quantity of connected cars to reach 28 million by 2025.