The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has quietly introduced a striking new security protocol: stickers inside Chinese-manufactured electric and hybrid vehicles warning staff not to discuss classified or sensitive information while driving them. The move, first reported by The Telegraph, reflects growing Western anxiety about potential espionage risks posed by connected vehicles from manufacturers linked to Beijing.
The MoD currently operates around 745 fully electric and 1,400 hybrid cars in its non-operational fleet, many of them produced by brands such as MG (owned by China’s SAIC Motor) and BYD. Although officials stress there is no evidence that any of these vehicles have been used to harvest data or eavesdrop on conversations, the precautionary step follows advice from the government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Researchers highlighted that modern connected cars are packed with microphones, cameras, and always-on internet links—features that could theoretically be exploited remotely.
In response, the MoD has placed prominent warning stickers on dashboards and doors reminding drivers and passengers that “official sensitive discussions must not take place in this vehicle.” An MoD spokesman insisted that “robust measures are in place to protect information” and that the department continually reviews risks to its fleet.
The directive has provoked sharp criticism from security experts. Retired military intelligence colonel Philip Ingram dismissed the stickers as “ludicrous,” arguing that if officials genuinely believe Chinese cars pose a realistic eavesdropping threat, the only logical course is to remove them from service entirely. “Putting a sticker on a dashboard is security theatre,” he told broadcasters. “Either the risk is serious enough to ban the cars, or it isn’t.”
The controversy echoes wider geopolitical tensions. In recent years the United States, Canada, and Australia have imposed strict limits or outright bans on Chinese-made technology in government fleets, citing national security laws that compel companies to cooperate with Beijing’s intelligence services. Britain has so far stopped short of a blanket ban, though ministers blocked Chinese investment in strategic sectors and ordered the removal of Huawei equipment from critical infrastructure.
For now, defence personnel must simply remember to keep quiet on the school run or commute—however absurd that may feel in a supposedly secure democratic state in 2025.
Thanks to Agent GOLD Metal for the tipoff...