Warning to MOD staff amid fears China could be using electric vehicles to spy on military
Warning stickers banning military workers from discussing sensitive information have been placed inside the Ministry of Defence's electric cars, as fears grow that China could be listening.
The MOD has leased hundreds of electric vehicles, many of which are MGs from China’s state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation.
Fears have been raised that China could be using the vehicles to spy on the Armed Forces.
The cars and vans in question are used to move troops and equipment to exercises across military bases.
Stuck to the dashboard of the EV cars, the stickers warn: "MOD devices are NOT to be connected to vehicle.”
Another message stated: "Avoid conversations above OFFICIAL within the vehicle."
The MOD is already believed to have banned some electric vehicles with Chinese components from being parked close to military bases that could have sensitive information.
Figures show the MOD has around 745 electric vehicles and around 1,400 hybrid cars in its fleet. They were leased to the MOD as it attempts to achieve a net zero target.
A potential threat to security
Back in April, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) found EVs could pose a potential threat to security.
However, there is no evidence to suggest sensitive data has been passed to any third party.
In response to the stickers, an MOD spokesperson said: “As the public would expect, we have security advice in place to protect our systems and information.
"This includes ensuring that official devices are not connected to cars and that staff only have conversations at the appropriate classification.
“This policy applies to all MOD civilian hire vehicles, not just electric ones."
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