FOIA Request

Drawing on the recent publication of a letter from Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Axios China reporter Bethany Allen- Ebrahimian published a piece about states continuing to purchase risky Chinese technology. The letter explains that they lawmakers want to ensure that technology and telecommunications equipment used by government agencies is secure. Citing China Tech Threat’s report on states purchasing good from Lenovo and Lexmark, Allen- Ebrahimian notes that “State-level procurement of tech represents an area of vulnerability.” Additionally, she quotes CTT founder Roslyn Layton who stated that “If you are a state chief information officer, there is… Read More

The Tennessean, Tennessee’s largest newspaper, published a critical opinion piece by China Tech Threat founder, Roslyn Layton. In her piece entitled “Despite warnings, Tennessee leaders not taking cyberthreats seriously”, Dr. Layton outlines the  history of Tennessee to buy into risky contracts with insecure technology vendors, and the impact that that has on citizens across the state. She also notes that when China Tech Threat made an effort to try to identify more of these contracts and gain a better understanding of where the state’s cyber vulnerabilities lie, the Tennessee government rejected our FOIA request.  She calls on state leaders to correct this and assess the nature of the contracts and the impact they could have on residents. To better understand… Read More

Yesterday China Tech Threat sent 29 emails to the Tennessee, New Jersey and Maine congressional delegations. In the emails, China Tech Threat explained that these states have unwittingly purchased vulnerable equipment from Lenovo and Lexmark, vendors restricted by US military and intelligence authorities because of risk of cyber intrusion from actors in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). China Tech Threat’s 2019 Report “Stealing from the States” provides background on the risk as identified by the Department of Defense for Lenovo laptops, Lexmark printers, and other “common off the shelf” items and in depth reporting about individual US states. Further, our recent October 2021 memo gives even information on specific states. China Tech Threat has made multiple Freedom of Information… Read More

In 2019, China Tech Threat released a report on the failure of states to scrutinize the purchase of products and services from risky Chinese information technology vendors Lenovo and Lexmark which have been banned from U.S. military and intelligence networks for their connections with the Chinese government and military.  The alarming fact is, despite being banned at the federal level, many states unwittingly still have purchase contracts with these dangerous companies. At the state level, these types of attacks have been used to access sensitive personal and financial information held by various government agencies. To assess the threat level in the states and raise awareness, China Tech Threat conducted an extensive research project based on Freedom Of Information (FOIA) requests… Read More

Just this month, two members of the House Homeland Security Committee continued the warnings over specific security and privacy threats posed by emerging Chinese tech companies. And now research shows the State of Washington is has emerged as a new risk center with neary $9 million spent on restricted Chinese government-owned technology, including risky purchases by the Washington State Legislature and Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. We are still seeing one of the largest threats come from state governments continuing to purchase U.S. military-restricted equipment. This includes buying products from Lenovo and Lexmark, Chinese-owned companies that have been restricted by multiple military and intelligence agencies in the U.S. and around the globe because of security deficiencies. Through a… Read More

Following Senator Schumer’s recent announcements about next-generation semiconductor research initiatives coming to Albany, China Tech Threat today issued a letter to Sen. Schumer requesting his support in determining what guardrails exist to prevent government purchases from Chinese state-owned manufacturers, particularly in New York State as the home to the world’s financial markets.  The letter by China Tech Threat Co-Founder Dr. Roslyn Layton cites New York’s State’s purchase of more than $28 million in technology products and services by Chinese state-owned tech manufacturers Lenovo and Lexmark, which have ownership ties to the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party. It was issued as New York plans to allocate $23.5 billion in federal American Rescue Plan funding, much of which will be used… Read More