Russ Walker, executive director of the Rainey Freedom Project and senior strategist at the September Group.
Chet Love, managing partner of Cornerstone Group International and chair of the Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy.
Home and business security systems are supposed to keep Americans safe. Yet very often our cameras, routers, drones, smart locks, and more are compromised, opening the door to surveillance and security risks – often without consumers being any the wiser.
The biggest security threat comes from China. Millions of US homes and businesses rely on electronics and security systems manufactured by companies with direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Many of these products are cheap, widely available, and deeply integrated into our daily lives. But the cost we save at checkout comes due later when our personal information and national infrastructure are at risk.
Take Hikvision and Dahua, two Chinese surveillance giants blacklisted by the US government. Their products – used in schools, homes, and even municipal buildings – are capable of sending video data to foreign servers. DJI drones, popular with hobbyists and law enforcement alike, have been flagged by the Department of Defense for transmitting user data back to China. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi routers from Huawei and TP-Link have documented firmware vulnerabilities that make it easy for hackers to steal data, monitor activity, or disable connected security systems.
These vulnerabilities risk more than privacy – they’re a threat to national security. China’s ‘military-civil fusion’ strategy explicitly encourages companies to aid the state in acquiring foreign technology and intelligence. Meanwhile, security systems installed in government offices, power grids, and defense facilities could be exploited to surveil sensitive operations or disrupt vital systems. As 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) devices proliferate, the scope of this threat only grows. Firms like Huawei, ZTE, and DJI don’t just make gadgets – they serve the geopolitical interests of an adversarial regime.
Compounding these risks is the inadequacy of domestic American data storage. You wouldn’t keep your car unlocked on a busy street. Nor would you leave your wallet on a counter in an airport. But Americans regularly – and often unknowingly – have their data housed in less secure overseas facilities unprotected by US oversight.
Like the proliferation of Chinese drones, security systems, and internet products, the rise in overseas data storage is largely driven by cost. Data centers consume a massive amount of energy, and US electricity isn’t cheap. This forces companies to move their data centers to locations with lower energy costs.
To protect Americans from this silent invasion of insecure goods and the risks of over reliance on overseas data centers, the US needs to act – now. First, we must establish a Privacy Gold Star Certification, a national standard that helps consumers and institutions identify products that meet strict security guidelines. Only systems that use US-developed software, store data on American servers, and are free from foreign ownership or control would be certified. End-to-end encryption and explicit opt-in requirements for data sharing would be mandatory.
Second, we should ban foreign-controlled security systems from critical infrastructure altogether. American businesses, schools, and families deserve confidence that the tools they use to protect themselves aren’t secretly compromised.
Third, we should require all surveillance footage and related data to be stored within US borders and governed by US privacy laws. It’s unacceptable that personal and institutional data could end up in the hands of foreign adversaries simply because a cheaper device was more convenient at the time of purchase.
Fourth and finally, we should unlock the power of every available electron by optimizing energy efficiency and embracing energy generation from every power source available – whether it’s natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar, or something else. Government shouldn’t pick winners and losers but rather put every energy source on the table in order to drive down costs and incentivize building data centers in America instead of abroad.
We’ve already seen what happens when we delay action. The same companies that helped build China’s surveillance state are now embedded in our neighborhoods. If we don’t draw a clear line between privacy and foreign intrusion, we will pay the price in lost freedoms, compromised infrastructure, and weakened national security.
For America to be secure, we must end foreign surveillance on our soil.
This article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.
