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Louisiana’s Contracts with Chinese Government-Owned Technology Vendors
Sensitive Personal and Financial Information is at Risk
Learn More about the Impact in Louisiana
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 State Procurement Director Paula Tregre, leader of the procurement division of LA. (Read more)
State CIO Richard Howze, a leader not commonly in the public light but whose work is imperative to state cyber security. (Read more)
What actions have Congressional Leaders taken?
LA Representative Steve Scalise has long been a proponent of combating the Chinese Technology threat, calling for the US to stand up to Chinese actions that threaten national security. (Read more about Rep. Scalise here)
Senator Bill Cassidy penned a letter to Cabinet leaders asking for greater accountability for Chinese-controlled companies. (Read the letter sent from Sen. Cassidy here)
Congressman Garrett Graves has pushed for a decreased reliance by Americans on Chinese goods, pointing to supply chains as a risk to US emergency response. (Read more on Rep. Graves’ work here.)
Senator John Kennedy worked alongside Sen. Van Hollen to pass legislation kicking Chinese-owned companies off U.S. stock exchanges. (See more here.)
Analysis
Despite military and intelligence agency bans, the Louisiana State Government has spent $1.1 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 Louisiana’s personal and financial information.
The Department of Administration handles a myriad of sensitive personal data from agencies across government. They have spent $591,821.89 on Lenovo equipment.
The State Board of Regents oversees the colleges and universities within the state of Louisiana. The office has spent $45,324.08 with Lenovo.
The LA Special School District manages and processes student data and educational information. The office has spent $3,441.00 with Lenovo.
An office listed as “unidentified” on the FOIA response document has spent $211,904.04 on Lenovo products in the past 5 years.