US bans BYD cars at Kadena Air Base in Japan
The US military announced a ban on cars from Chinese brand BYD at Kadena Air Base in Japan, set to take effect Monday.
Officials are worried the technology inside these vehicles might pick up or send out sensitive information, even though they have not named any specific threats.
Base spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Alli Stormer said, "These vehicles present an unacceptable and unmitigable risk to our personnel and our mission," highlighting how cautious the base is about security.
Pentagon linked BYD to China's military
Kadena Air Base is not just any base: it is the biggest US Air Force spot in East Asia, with 20,000 people stationed there and some major defense systems on site.
The move comes as BYD keeps growing globally (they launched its Racco electric minicar in the country in July), but tensions are high after the Pentagon linked BYD to China's military earlier this year.
This ban shows how seriously the US is taking technology security around its most important bases right now.