BYD cars France security concerns European lawmakers, Digi Mart USA News (France): Cameras, geolocation, microphones, permanent internet connections and remote software updates are now standard in many vehicles. These technologies support driving and connected services, but they raise questions when cars operate in places where certain information must remain confidential.
BYD is now at the center of a European political initiative. Fourteen members of the European Parliament have asked the European Commission about the risks that cars from the Chinese manufacturer could pose to the security of certain infrastructure.
The initiative was launched by French MEP François Kalfon, a member of the Socialists and Democrats group.
The move follows a decision by the U.S. military in Japan.
On October 26, military authorities barred BYD vehicles from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa Island. The measure covers private cars, taxis and delivery vehicles of the brand.
American officials cited a security risk they described as impossible to manage satisfactorily, but they did not publish the technical findings behind that conclusion.
Other countries have adopted or considered restrictions on Chinese vehicles near certain military facilities, including Poland, the United Kingdom and Israel. Kalfon also cites an episode in Norway, where military personnel reportedly found that Chinese cars used during an exercise had recorded their movements and access codes to secure facilities.
No brand is identified in that account.
On a technical level, the concerns are not entirely abstract. Parking assistance cameras and surround-view systems can record images of their surroundings.
Navigation systems track the vehicle’s movements, and cellular connections can, depending on the functions enabled, exchange information with remote servers.
These features are not unique to Chinese manufacturers. European, American, Japanese and Korean vehicles also use comparable technologies.
The real issue therefore concerns the data actually collected, how it is stored, the possibilities for remote access, and the rules that apply to operators.
The lawmakers raise the question of China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law. Its Article 7 requires Chinese organizations and citizens to cooperate with state intelligence activities.
For the signatories, this provision justifies a close examination of connected vehicles from China. However, this legal obligation alone does not prove that a manufacturer collects military intelligence or transmits data to Chinese authorities.
In response, BYD told Reuters that it disputes the alleged data transfer risks. The company says information processed or stored in its vehicles and IT services cannot be accessed remotely from China.
Its European division also states that it does not share such data with other group entities or third parties located in China. BYD adds that customers retain control over their personal information.
These statements, however, represent the manufacturer’s official position. They do not replace an independent technical audit covering onboard software, data flows, servers used and any possible remote access.
That is precisely one of the aims of the initiative in Brussels. The fourteen MEPs want to know whether the Commission plans to ask ENISA, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, to examine risks linked to BYD.
They also ask the European executive whether the manufacturer could be classified among suppliers presenting a high risk, and whether restrictions could be placed on access to strategic civilian and military infrastructure.
Alongside the European initiative, François Kalfon sent a letter to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu asking him to act without waiting for any possible decision from Brussels. The lawmaker specifically wants to prevent BYD vehicles from entering military bases, certain ministry buildings and strategic facilities, including those that host both civilian and military activities.
He also asks the competent French intelligence and cybersecurity services to assess the risks associated with these cars. According to information cited by the lawmaker, the Directorate of Defense Intelligence and Security (DRSD) reportedly alerted French authorities to the issue during the summer of 2026.
The content of that alert has not been made public.
Another proposal could have more direct commercial consequences: excluding BYD from certain public procurement contracts. If legally adopted, such a measure would prevent some public administrations from buying the Chinese manufacturer’s vehicles.
This raises several difficulties. The European Union is already working on rules intended to favor European production in some tenders, and BYD is expanding its industrial presence on the continent, notably with its plant in Szeged, Hungary.
A European factory does not automatically resolve cybersecurity questions, but it complicates any exclusion based solely on where the vehicles are made.
For French private owners, nothing changes at this stage. There is no proposal to ban the purchase, ownership or road use of a BYD vehicle.
The requests concern sensitive locations and purchases made by public authorities. The European Commission usually has about six weeks to answer written questions from lawmakers, so a first response could come around mid-December, though it would not necessarily lead to new regulation.
