— Washington The Justice Department stated Thursday that a new federal project aimed at keeping America’s technical breakthroughs out of the hands of foreign foes will be implemented as part of the Biden administration’s expanding strategy to resist growing Chinese threats.
According to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency partnership between the Departments of Justice and Commerce, will target adversaries like China that seek to use American high-tech advances to undermine national security and disrupt the rule of law.
Monaco stated at the Chatham House, a British think tank, that the newly formed organization will act as the latest element in the Justice Department’s attempt to safeguard American technology and data.
“We will use intelligence and data analytics to target illicit actors, enhance public and private partnerships to harden supply chains, and we will identify early warning of threats to our critical assets,” said Monaco.
In order to resist these threats, U.S. officials are focusing more on how foreign adversaries attempt to gain access to American technology and data through investments. Monaco stated that the Biden administration is examining how federal authorities might control the flow of American money into foreign technology sectors to ensure that these monies do not benefit the national security goals of another nation.
As part of a larger conversation, Monaco cautioned that nations such as China and Russia are becoming “more sophisticated, brazen and dangerous” in their efforts to undermine American security. She stated that Russian criminals targeting public institutions like as hospitals in the United States and Chinese abuse of personal data are major issues.
“The Chinese government is not just hacking to gather our data,” stated Monaco. If a corporation is operating in China and collecting your personal information, it is likely that the Chinese government has access to it.
In the context of escalating tensions with China, one of the United States’ highest-ranking law enforcement officers uttered harsh words. The U.S. military recently shot down a Chinese spy balloon after it spanned a large portion of the country, causing the Secretary of State to cancel a meeting in Beijing. Around the United States, government agencies have prohibited the usage of the social media app TikTok on official devices.
FBI Director Chris Wray told Congress in November that investigators have “national security concerns’” over the app, including fears that “Chinese government could use it to collect data on millions of users.”
Monaco cautioned on Thursday that China’s weaponization of data will only become more devious over time, warning the gathering gathered in London that the Chinese government requires companies conducting business in China to hand over the keys to their data.
“The data obtained today could be used in new and frightening ways tomorrow,” she predicted.
According to Monaco, the purpose of the government is to prevent nations like China from leveraging American investment, technology, and data against the American people. She stated that the recently established Justice Department strike force, one of its numerous programs, will now try to uncover early weaknesses.
Attorney General Merrick Garland told a conference of mayors last month that the Justice Department is working to combat another Chinese-origin menace to the American people: fentanyl.
Investigators, according to Garland, are “disrupting the flow of precursor chemicals coming from the People’s Republic of China to Mexico,” where they are then utilized to manufacture the lethal drug and shipped to the United States.
Under criticism from senators during a congressional hearing on Wednesday, administration officials stated that they are collaborating with international allies to urge China to limit the flow of harmful chemicals.
Monaco’s words in London constitute a tacit admission by the U.S. that it will need to engage with other nations if it wants to “getting this right.” as she stated on Thursday.
Sens. Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, chairs and vice chairs of the Senate Intelligence Committee, respectively, stated in an interview with “Face the Nation” last month that they are considering additional measures to combat China’s predatory practices, including legislation targeting Chinese investment.
Rubio stated, “The Chinese have found a way to use capitalism against us,” “What I mean by that is the ability to attract investment into entities that are deeply linked to the state.”
Warner continued, “I want to have an approach that says we need to look at foreign technology investments, foreign technology development, regardless of the country, if it poses a national security threat, and have some place that can evaluate this,”
Reporting was given by Margaret Brennan.
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