Chinese rental cars recorded military data during Norway exercise
Norwegian soldiers discovered videos recorded by cameras in Chinese-made rental cars during a security exercise at Oslo airport. The footage captured access codes, routes and personnel movements at military facilities, raising espionage concerns. Norway's Home Guard confirmed the findings but could
Chinese-made rental cars recorded sensitive information during a Norwegian military exercise, including access codes at secure sites and officials' comings and goings, raising concerns about the risks posed by connected vehicles, Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv (DN) reported.
During a security exercise at Oslo airport from 14 to 18 September, waiting soldiers tapping on a vehicle's screen discovered videos recorded by onboard cameras. The recordings showed who was getting in and out of the cars, the routes taken and even the codes used to open gates or doors to military facilities.
DN said the recordings came from rental vehicles supplied to the army by Hertz Norge, which is indirectly owned by the Chinese auto group Geely. At least two of the cars were Deepal brand vehicles, made by Chinese state-controlled automaker Changan.
"Yes, soldiers from the Home Guard found videos from the vehicles' sensors stored in their systems," Lieutenant Colonel Per Gunnar Grosberghaugen, Norwegian Home Guard spokesperson, confirmed to AFP. He said it was not known if the recordings were shared with a third party, notably in China, but he could not rule out the possibility.
The military continued to use the vehicles until the end of the exercise due to a lack of alternatives, and the soldiers deleted the videos, DN reported. The military said it preferred security procedures tailored to each site, with possible local bans on vehicles equipped with cameras and sensors regardless of their origin, judging that a general ban on Chinese-made vehicles would be disproportionate.
Hertz Norge stressed that it complies with Norwegian and European regulations. "Our customers' data is safe with us," Hallvard Nerbovik, its marketing and communications director, told AFP. "No personal data related to our rentals is shared with car manufacturers, our owners or other third parties without explicit legal grounds." He did not specify whether the onboard videos may have been transferred. Changan group did not respond to AFP's questions.
The Norwegian National Security Authority (NSM) said modern vehicles are "rolling computers that collect information". "We don't know for sure where the information is sent or what it's used for," NSM official Andreas Skjold-Lorange told AFP. He warned that excessive dependence on products from a single country, especially one that does not cooperate with Norway on security matters, makes Norway vulnerable.