Vermont Was First State to Ban Chinese Tech But Can Do More

On February 16, Vermont’s Agency of Digital Services issued Cybersecurity Update Standard 2023-1 adding TikTok and WeChat to the list of technology products including Chinese manufacturers and telecom equipment its state agencies are prohibited from acquiring. Originally outlined in a 2019 directive, Vermont was the first state to enact a ban of this kind. China Tech Threat (CTT) commends this leadership and urges Vermont to take additional action to prohibit the purchase of dangerous Chinese government-owned technology from Lexmark and Lenovo.  

CTT’s recent research reveals that unlike many other states, Vermont has had no direct spending on this risky technology from these two companies since 2015. Prohibiting any future purchases is imperative because China's 2017 National Intelligence Law obligates Lexmark and Lenovo to cooperate with any Chinese government directive to hand over information in their possession, making sensitive and confidential state data vulnerable to Chinese surveillance. Yet, CTT’s February briefing paper reveals states continue to use this technology already restricted by U.S. military and intelligence agencies due to its connection to the Chinese government and military. 

The Green Mountain State can continue to lead by following a growing list of states that have enacted legislation to ban state agencies from purchasing and deploying Chinese technology. These include South Dakota’s Governor Kristi Noem who signed SB 189 into law in March, Idaho’s Governor Brad Little who signed HB 294 and Arkansas’ Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders who signed HB 1789 in April, and, most recently, on May 1 Indiana’s Governor Eric Holcomb who signed SB 477. 

CTT will continue to monitor Vermont’s efforts to protect its valuable and sensitive information from risky Chinese technology.

Be sure to check out the blog on our website!