Chinese spy in my vacuum cleaner? Estonian intelligence warns about data gathering risks from Chinese technology
China's global proliferation of its homegrown tech isn't solely attributable to the tenacity and resourcefulness of Chinese innovators. Still, rather, it represents a well-defined stratagem to bolster China's political clout. The idea is to establish a point where integrated tech solutions become irreplaceable by Western technology owing to compatibility issues and interconnected dependencies, as elaborated in a document released on Tuesday.
Both public and private sector entities should proactively contain the widespread infiltration of Chinese technology, as the high likelihood is that sooner or later, due to geopolitical shifts and security implications, a tough decision to abandon Chinese technology will become inevitable, the Estonian intelligence warned.
The experts highlighted the potential risk associated with the adoption of lidar systems, which are used by devices such as vehicles or vacuum cleaners that require this data to function. "This implies that autonomous vehicles integrated with Chinese technology could potentially be utilized for intelligence gathering," the document surmised.
The risk from Chinese vacuum cleaners
It stated, " The same risk of indiscriminate environmental scanning is linked with popular household gadgets like robotic vacuum cleaners. Furthermore, Chinese tech firms offering personalized services and holding user accounts on mobile apps pose the potential risk of harvesting user-specific data."
The intelligence report underscored that the jeopardy involved with TikTok lies in Beijing's ability to utilize the data it gleans from the app to work on perfecting artificial intelligence, drawing from "visual and behavioral data from users of various backgrounds."
Beyond its utility for AI development, other data amassed by the app can also prove useful. TikTok collates comprehensive data about the user and their device, such as contacts, calendar entries, other apps, Wi-Fi networks, and location. This information could be valuable for gathering intelligence, threats of extortion, and launching cyber attacks, the report asserted.
