The Pentagon shooting down an unidentified object over the waters near Alaska rang the alarm bells about the threats to America’s security. These threats come in many forms, including through dangerous Chinese technology from Lenovo, which Alaska spent more than $1 million on between 2020 and 2023.
China Tech Threat’s (CTT) recent analysis reveals Alaska spent $1,273,408 on restricted Chinese technology for its Legislature, the Office of the Governor, and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, among others, as detailed in the fact sheet here.
This dangerous Chinese government-owned technology from Lenovo leaves key Alaska legislative information at risk. Personal health and medical data, as well as highly sensitive financial information, are made vulnerable to Chinese espionage by the use of this untrustworthy technology by manufacturers already restricted by US military and intelligence agencies due to its connection to the Chinese government and military. (Read more about Lenovo and three other dangerous Chinese government-owned tech manufacturers in our February briefing paper.)
Early this year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced the prohibition of TikTok on state equipment as it “poses a clear risk to any network or user it touches.” This is a good first step, but more needs to be done to protect Alaskans’ sensitive information and networks. Legislators in over a dozen states have taken action to ban the purchase and deployment of this Chinese-owned technology by state agencies, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem who signed SB 189 in March. Alaska should follow their examples and enact legislation to ban the purchase and deployment of this untrustworthy technology and prevent the exposure of the sensitive and confidential information they are entrusted to protect.