New bill seeks 'phase-out' of LiDAR tech tied to foreign adversaries

"New legislation from the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party would "phase-out the use" of Light Detection and Ranging - or LiDAR - technologies across the federal government and within critical infrastructure services if they are made by companies linked to adversarial nations, including China. LiDAR, a remote-sensing technology that uses pulsed laser light to map terrain, is used in autonomous vehicles, geographic information systems and other advanced capabilities."

"Critical infrastructure operators and other federal entities would also be directed to replace covered legacy LiDAR tech from their systems within five years of the bill's enactment. The proposal includes certain exceptions, such as LiDAR products used for research and academic purposes, and also allows for waivers if the continued use of some of the technologies is deemed to be "in the national interest of the United States.""

""Foreign adversary dominance of LiDAR technologies, and the widespread use of such technologies in the United States, creates profound opportunities for such adversaries to engage in espionage, technical compromise, and the disruption of sensitive supply chains, presenting an unacceptable threat to our nation's security," the bill warns. Although the proposal takes a firm line against specific foreign adversaries - including Russia, Iran and North Korea - the primary focus of the bill is on Chinese-made LiDAR systems."

The legislation would ban new purchases of LiDAR products from companies linked to foreign adversaries within three years and require critical infrastructure and federal entities to replace covered legacy LiDAR systems within five years. LiDAR is a remote-sensing technology used in autonomous vehicles, geographic information systems and other advanced capabilities. Chinese manufacturers have gained significant presence in the global LiDAR supply chain, raising cybersecurity and national security concerns about espionage, technical compromise, and supply-chain disruption. The proposal includes exceptions for research and academic use and allows waivers for uses deemed in the national interest, while also naming Russia, Iran and North Korea as adversaries.

Read at Nextgov.com