Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is taking action to address the increasing threat of Chinese-controlled companies to our national security.
Scott introduced a bill amid reports that home security cameras by Lorex, sold at Big Box retailers throughout the U.S., are quietly monitoring homes using technology from a Chinese surveillance firm legally bound to assist Beijing’s sweeping intelligence apparatus.
Privacy advocates and everyday Americans are sounding the alarm with concerns that foreign adversaries like China are embedding themselves into the digital infrastructure of American homes through smart appliances and connected devices. Under Chinese law, Chinese-owned companies are compelled to hand over data to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on request, meaning any Chinese-owned company operating on U.S. soil could be forced, legally, to act as an agent of the Chinese state.
Everyday devices could even be used as coordinated weapons to destabilize or crash America’s electric grid.
Scott’s newly introduced legislation, the PROTECT the Grid Act, targets high-wattage, internet-connected appliances controlled by companies with ties to the CCP.
“Clearly the CCP is using every tool at its disposal to destroy us, and it’s a risk we can’t take lightly,” Scott told Breitbart News. “Whether it’s cell phones, smart devices, or even baby monitors, if Communist China is involved, it means our adversary has a built-in back door to our homes, our lives, and our power grids. That’s terrifying and must be fixed.”
Scott’s PROTECT the Grid Act directs the Department of Commerce to investigate CCP-affiliated tech embedded in critical infrastructure devices. The legislation also mandates a full assessment of how far foreign adversaries have penetrated the U.S. appliance and Internet-of-Things (IoT) markets.
The Coalition for a Prosperous America, which calls for increased economic sovereignty and trade security, has endorsed this legislation. The group has been vocal about the dangers of adversaries like China embedding themselves into the digital infrastructure of American homes through smart appliances and connected devices.
The Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) is looking into rulemaking around what can be done to address transparency regarding foreign adversary control.
But there is a growing call in Congress and among national security experts for Americans to stop supporting CCP-controlled brands like Hisense and GE Appliances — now owned by Chinese state-backed Haier — and instead buy exclusively from American-owned and -controlled companies.
Businesses are taking action as well.
Earlier in October, Anthropic announced it would stop selling its artificial intelligence services to companies with majority Chinese ownership, the first time a U.S. AI company has limited sales to the country.
Scott says his bill aims to draw a clear line between safe consumer products and those that could be weaponized by foreign regimes. He tells Breitbart that his bill will help Congress “to fully understand China’s influence through our devices so we can address this threat head-on and protect our nation.”
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
