Rick Scott targets Chinese control of ‘smart’ appliances

Rick Scott

American homes are experiencing better living through technology. But in an ironic twist, much of that tech is routed through America’s fiercest geopolitical rival.

Chinese checks on American devices don’t sit well with U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. Scott is attempting to address the “alarming threat posed by high-wattage smart devices produced or controlled by foreign adversaries like Communist China” with new legislation: the Preventing Remote Operations by Threatening Entities on Critical Technology for the Grid (PROTECT the Grid) Act.

“We cannot forget the existential threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses to our national security and American citizens. The CCP uses every tool at its disposal to infiltrate our markets, our government, and our families’ everyday lives through smart products designed with a built-in backdoor for China to spy on them and access our power grids,” Scott said.

The bill calls on the Secretary of Commerce to submit a report assessing vulnerabilities to the electric grid in the United States from electric vehicle chargers, clothes dryers, smart air conditioners, water heaters, ovens, and other devices that can be controlled remotely.

“The CCP uses every tool at its disposal to infiltrate our markets, our government, and our families’ everyday lives through smart products designed with a built-in backdoor for China to spy on them and access our power grids,” Scott added. “The risk this access poses cannot be understated — it means Communist China could flip a digital switch and plunge parts of America into chaos.”

The bill language notes the conflation of private industry and the government in China, as manifested in mandating that “Chinese companies store customer data domestically and grant Chinese state authorities broad access to those data.”

With that in mind, Scott is seeking an “investigation into China’s influence through these items and how we can work to (cut) off their access, secure our grid, and stop a foreign dictatorship from holding American citizens hostage through their own appliances.”

The bill calls for a report about these technologies and potential perils within 270 days of it becoming law.