MS needs to stop buying dangerous Chinese technology, auditor says

Local and state government offices in Mississippi — everywhere from your local police department to the workforce training program at your community college — may be buying dangerous Chinese technology.

Let’s face it: China is no friend to the United States taxpayer.

You’ve probably read recent headlines about China-based TikTok—the popular social media platform with strong connections to the Chinese communist regime. These headlines come after years of warnings about untrustworthy Chinese telecommunications devices — cell phones, drones, surveillance cameras, routers, etc. — and attempts by China to compromise our country’s national security with this tech. According to national security experts, some of the tech can be hacked or used for sabotage.

Congress has heeded these warnings and, in 2018, passed legislation to prohibit federal agencies from purchasing and using certain types of Chinese technology and equipment. Each time a government office purchases this vulnerable technology, a new “back door” into critical network infrastructure is cracked open, and Congress wanted to plug the hole.

But a report published last month by the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) shows untrustworthy Chinese technology is still purchased by local and state government offices across the country.

The federal ban does not apply to state and local governments.

According to the report, state and local government offices spent nearly $22 million on Chinese equipment subject to the federal ban. In Mississippi, that number was nearly $100,000.

Fortunately, some states have imposed restrictions on the purchase of untrustworthy Chinese technology after recognizing the inherent security risks. Four states in the Southeast — Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas — have implemented restrictions on the use of state funds to purchase equipment identified as vulnerable to Chinese espionage. Mississippi has not adopted any restrictions on the purchase of such technology and equipment.

My office has identified some of this banned technology that has been purchased in Mississippi using your taxpayer dollars. In our recent audit of state agencies, my office questioned the use of public money to purchase drone equipment manufactured by a company — Da Jiang Innovations (DJI) — which the United States Department of Defense considers a threat to national security. Federal stimulus funds were used to purchase the Chinese drone equipment for a state agency.

Even if you’re not a high-level diplomat, you should be concerned about China’s aggressive spy campaign. No Mississippian — or other American — should want to allow the Chinese government easy access to their local police department’s communication system or their entire family’s private health or tax records. Local governments and state agencies need to be aware of which companies are on the banned list so they don’t use our taxpayer dollars to buy from those Chinese businesses.

You can also do your part. First, you can avoid buying commercially available personal devices manufactured by companies the federal government considers untrustworthy. Next, you can encourage your local government leaders to perform basic research before they sign off on any telecommunications purchase to mitigate security risks. Third, you can contact your legislators and ask them to support legislation to mirror the federal prohibition on dangerous Chinese technology.

Shad White is the 42nd State Auditor of Mississippi.