💬 Quoted: “It doesn’t take much imagination to understand how a foreign adversary with access to this information could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the privacy of US citizens.”

Yesterday, the Commerce Department proposed banning Chinese- and- Russian-made parts inside connected vehicles on US roads.

Driving (🙄) the move: National security concerns, per the Commerce Department. As outlined in Politico:

• The proposed rule focuses on hardware and software integrated into a car’s Vehicle Connectivity System and the software integrated into its Automated Driving System. Both allow for external communication.
• The Biden administration is concerned about malicious access to these systems, which officials say could allow adversaries to access and collect sensitive data about Americans as well as remotely manipulate cars.

The impact: Manufacturers in countries like Germany, South Korea, and Japan will need to find new suppliers if they A) currently use Chinese or Russian parts that run afoul of the proposed ban and B) want to continue selling cars in the US. American car-related imports from China last year totaled slightly over $17 billion, including ~$14.4 billion worth of parts. Russia is not a significant supplier to the US.

👀 Looking ahead… The Commerce Department is holding another comment period on the final proposed rule, with it likely being approved before President Biden leaves office on January 20, according to administration officials.

✈️ Stat of the Day: Mike Meyers and Mel Brooks aren’t the only spoofers in town. In recent months, a growing number of commercial aircraft have reported in-flight issues due to GPS spoofing – a term used in aviation to describe fake signals and alerts militaries use to ward off drones and missiles (ex: a false warning to “pull up!” to avoid ground impact while flying 30,000+ feet in the air). According to Swiss researchers, the number of daily global flights affected by spoofing has risen from a few dozen in February to 1,100+ last month, with affected routes including US airlines’ international flights. Aviation-safety officials from around the world say spoofing has caused some disruptions, but hasn’t posed major safety risks to date.

🤔 Did You Know? The business-friendly state of Delaware has twice as many registered corporations (~2 million) as people (~1 million).

📰 Worth a Read: Electricity That Costs Nothing – or Even Less? It’s Happening More and More → (Wall Street Journal)