7am Your BYD car is watching you
Nov 22, 2025
Richard McGregor, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute, delves into the rise of the BYD Shark in Australia, highlighting its appeal as an affordable, tech-savvy vehicle. He raises concerns over data privacy, discussing how these cars act as data collection tools and the implications of Chinese tech access on national security. McGregor warns of potential surveillance risks and the need for Australians to safeguard their personal data while reflecting on lessons learned from the Huawei 5G ban.
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BYD's Rapid Rise In Australia
- BYD rapidly rose from a battery maker to a dominant, good-value carmaker with advanced tech in a few years.
- Its Shark 6 ute became one of Australia's best-sellers by being cheaper, faster and well-equipped.
Software-Controlled Vehicles And Chinese Law
- Modern cars are bundles of software controlled and updated by their home-country companies.
- Chinese law can compel companies to give security services access to data without judicial oversight.
Mitigate Risk By Storing Data Locally
- Consider onshoring data storage as one mitigation to foreign access, though it's not foolproof.
- The US moved to ban connected cars from untrusted entities and set rules that take effect in 2027 as an example.