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Colorado’s Contracts with Chinese Government-Owned Technology Vendors
Sensitive Personal and Financial Information is at Risk
Learn More about the Impact in Colorado
The Problem
Chinese government-owned technology manufacturers, including PC-giant Lenovo, have been banned by U.S. military and intelligence agencies due to fears of information security. (Read the report)
Who can take action?
This includes state leaders Sherri Maxwell, Chief Procurement Officer at the Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration, which is responsible for managing the State’s decentralized purchasing process for state agencies and institutions of higher education. (Read more)
State CIO Tony Neal-Graves, who uses his vast private-sector experience to build a more connected and technology-driven Colorado. (Read more)
What actions have Congressional Leaders taken?
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy. Sen. Gardner has spoken out against China’s cyber transgressions and commended the FCC for banning Huawei tech.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) serves as a Member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Sen. Bennet has spoken out against China’s cyber transgressions and introduced legislation to support US innovation in the race for 5G and invest in alternatives to Huawei.
Rep. Ken Buck is the original sponsor of a bill that would ban TikTok from all government devices. Rep. Buck has stated that “TikTok is a cybersecurity threat to our country. We cannot allow China’s parasitic spyware app to collect data from United States government officials.”
Rep. Scott Tipton has a page on his congressional website titled “Project China: Holding the CCP Accountable” which lists the bills he supports to reduce American reliance on China and hold the communist party accountable. Rep. Tipton co-sponsored Rep. Ken Buck’s bill that would ban TikTok from all government devices.
Analysis
Despite military and intelligence agency bans, the Colorado state government has spent $3.76 million on Chinese-owned Lenovo equipment in the last five years. (See the Freedom of Information Request response here and summary here.)
Select Vulnerabilities:
The use of banned Chinese government-owned technology vendors by these agencies endangers Colorado’s personal and financial information.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages 42 state parks, all of Colorado’s wildlife, more than 300 state wildlife areas and a host of recreational programs. They have spent $2,007,255.24 on Lenovo equipment.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Committee regulates the development and production of the natural resources of oil and natural gas. The office has spent $402,971.60 with Lenovo.
The CO Division of Mining, Reclamation & Safety serves to protect the public, miners and the environment during current mining operations, restore abandoned mines, and to ensure that all mined land is reclaimed to beneficial use. The department has spent $492,846.70 with Lenovo.
The Division of Corrections, along with the Youth Corrections Division, whose mission is, “holding inmates accountable and engaging them in opportunities to make positive behavioral changes” spent $67,459.80 on Lenovo products in the past 5 years.