Just a year after hundreds of Chinese CCTV cameras were removed from federal government buildings over surveillance fears, cameras from the same company were back in Australia via a new brand of electric vehicle.
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cameras → remove → vehicle
The removal of cameras made by Dahua Technology from federal buildings and defence sites generated plenty of headlines in 2023.
Less well-known is that as the surveillance company was being sanctioned around the world, it had pivoted to making cars.
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it → make → cars
The brand Leapmotor came to Australia in 2024, competing as one of the most affordable EVs in the market.
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brand → come → market
Another selling point was its technology, including a suite of cameras.
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point → include → cameras
Some of these cameras are made by Dahua, yet there's nothing to stop the car being driven around some Defence sites or parked nearby.
Alastair MacGibbon, a former national cybersecurity adviser, said the microphones and cameras on an EV and some connected cars made them an ideal surveillance device.
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them → make → EV
He said an EV parked strategically near a government building could record when staff enter and exit and map the times people work.
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people → say → times
"You can even determine when something important was happening based on changed patterns of employees," he said.
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he → determine → employees
"Are there people that staff the watch office that are suddenly turning up at a time that means there's a crisis happening somewhere, or that the government is scaling up to do something?
"
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government → staff → something
[It] establishes a mesh of video and electronic knowledge that is granular and when it's taken in totality is almost a near perfect real-time picture of Australia."
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it → establish → Australia
One day in August, Four Corners visited a public car park in Canberra which sits between the headquarters of ASIO, the Department of Defence and the Australian Signals Directorate (Australia's digital spy agency).
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which → visit → Defence
It contained 22 EVs — almost half of which were Chinese brands.
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half → contain → which
Chinese EVs on military bases
Fears of Chinese EVs being used as real-time surveillance devices have seen them banned from military sites overseas.
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them → use → sites
Last year in the UK, Chinese EVs and even those with Chinese components were banned from some sensitive sites and training bases.
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EVs → ban → sites
In one case the military demanded they park more than 3 kilometres away.
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they → demand → case
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says Australia has some restrictions in place.
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Australia → say → place
"I know of examples of people driving in with a different sort of connected vehicle and being told to have to park a long distance away," he said.
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he → know → vehicle
"So, the fact that you don't have the blanket ban [in Australia] doesn't mean you don't have a whole lot of precautions that are taking place."
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that → mean → place
The Department of Defence declined to say what restrictions were in place for connected vehicles.
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restrictions → decline → vehicles
Like Britain, China is wary of foreign EVs, particularly those owned by its strategic rivals.
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China → own → rivals
In 2021 China banned Teslas, even those made at a plant in Shanghai, from political enclaves and some defence sites.
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China → ban → enclaves
"I think this is one of the most telling data points that we should pay attention to," said opposition Defence spokesman James Paterson.
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Paterson → think → attention
"If [China] think that's a risk in their country, then how should we feel about products they make and run here?"
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they → think → products
Four Corners took a Leapmotor for a drive around Canberra.
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Corners → take → Canberra
We drove the car through the Royal Military College, Duntroon, past ASIO's headquarters and around the Russell Defence precinct.
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We → drive → precinct
"When it comes to Chinese-connected vehicles, they should be banned from any military base, any intelligence facility, or any other sort of sensitive site and critical infrastructure," Mr MacGibbon said.
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MacGibbon → come → site
Senator Paterson, a former chair of the parliamentary committee on security and intelligence, said security agencies were so worried about Dahua cameras they even removed those not connected to the internet.
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they → say → internet
"It's extraordinary to me that we've ripped out [many] Dahua cameras from defence bases … but we've allowed that same technology in a connected vehicle to drive around those bases with all their cameras, all their sensors, all their data collection."
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technology → rip → cameras
Leapmotor, which has three models for sale in Australia, has previously said its ambition was to be the "Huawei of the automotive world".
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ambition → have → world
According to documents filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Leapmotor has an ongoing procurement contract with a Dahua subsidiary which agreed to supply cameras, sensors and radars to the car company.
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which → accord → company
Four Corners purchased a Leapmotor rear camera, which had the Dahua identifier (DH) as part of its labelling.
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which → purchase → labelling
While all connected vehicles pose a risk, Chinese EVs are viewed as more risky given Beijing's record of surveillance and hacking abroad.
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EVs → connect → surveillance
In additions to this, its national security laws can compel Chinese companies to co-operate with authorities if requested.
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laws → compel → authorities
"I think most people would recognise that it's a surveillance state and … it's shown its interest in large-scale electronic surveillance, not just inside China, but out," Mr MacGibbon said.
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MacGibbon → think → China
"What we're really talking about here is a national security issue caused by the aggregate number, hundreds of thousands of these vehicles, and soon to be the dominant type of vehicle sold in Australia.
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talking → talk → Australia
The modern range of EVs are driven by software, which is remotely controlled and updated.
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which → drive → software
The concern is that this software can be used to turn on microphones or cameras in a car, without the knowledge of the owner.
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software → use → owner
"[China] doesn't need to hack these vehicles to make them into a listening device or a surveillance device … it's a feature of the vehicle," Mr MacGibbon said.
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MacGibbon → need → vehicle
Leapmotor did not respond to questions from Four Corners.
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Leapmotor → respond → Corners
The Aporia