The China threat our politicians don’t seem to have noticed

The Chinese Communist party can congratulate itself on another sign of its rise: for the first time it has become a factor in deciding the fate of British politics. During Monday’s televised leadership debates, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak tried to appeal to Tory members by outdoing each other on their commitment to protect our national security, economic prosperity, data privacy and values from the CCP.

They both referred to Chinese theft of our science and technology, but the problem is much, much wider than that. What is more serious is our blithe willingness to import Chinese control into the most sensitive areas of our economy and society.

Neither aspiring prime minister mentioned the most crucial area – more crucial than 5G and Huawei. Our politicians have eventually got their minds around the threat in telecoms. They may even have grasped the importance of semiconductors. But they ignore the internet of things (IoT). There is still time to wake up – just.

The IoT is becoming the central nervous system of the global economy. It consists of a vast network of devices connected over wifi or cellular networks. These devices are embedded with sensors, software, processors and communication capabilities. They link up with each other to exchange and process huge amounts of data collected from their environment. They carry out tasks autonomously, at speed, and with limited human engagement. The worry is that in CCP hands these modules would also allow a hostile power to monitor and control the UK’s systems.

At home you will find IoT modules in smart meters, white goods and security cameras (including in your doorbell). They’re also in your car. When you shop or eat out, an IoT module may process your payment data.

Perhaps you do not care who has access to your data. But some people do.