French Military Warns of Tesla and BYD Vehicles: "Concerns Over Leaking Military Secrets"

The French military has warned its personnel to remain vigilant, noting that various devices routinely used in daily life, ranging from Tesla and BYD vehicles to smartphone applications such as Tinder and Strava, could potentially expose military secrets.

According to a report by Le Parisien on August 20 (local time), the French Defense Intelligence and Security Directorate (DRSD) has issued multiple warnings recently, stating that there is a risk of information leakage if Chinese BYD or American Tesla vehicles enter military bases.

The concern arises because both vehicles are equipped with cameras capable of recording in all directions—front, rear, left, and right—raising the possibility that the locations and interior details of military facilities could be exposed. In the case of Tesla, if the driver enables 'Sentry Mode,' the vehicle can continue recording even when parked and powered off.

BYD was also included on a list in the United States of companies that could potentially provide support to the Chinese military. BYD has strongly objected to this inclusion. The DRSD further pointed out that connected devices, such as smartphone apps and smartwatches, can also present security vulnerabilities. For example, the dating app Tinder poses a risk because its feature displaying the distance between users can be exploited—by measuring from multiple points, an individual's precise location and movement route can be inferred.

The Netherlands-based investigative media outlet 'Follow the Money' reported that it successfully tracked the movement patterns of a U.S. soldier stationed at Germany's Ramstein Air Base using such methods, and also traced the locations of approximately 400 military personnel in Europe and the United States.

The fitness-tracking app Strava was also singled out as a representative case of security vulnerability; it records running, cycling, and hiking routes via GPS, potentially revealing the positions and movement paths of military personnel.

In fact, this past March, the location of France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean in response to a crisis in the Middle East, was exposed through a crew member's Strava activity log. There have also been previous observations that the movement routes of security teams for high-profile officials, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, could be exposed through activity records.

Le Parisien concluded that, ironically, in an environment where counterintelligence tactics utilizing advanced technology are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the most effective security measure may simply be to turn off mobile phones.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.