Chinese-made cars rented by Norwegian military automatically recorded and stored video footage during military exercises

Dashcams used by the Norwegian military during a training exercise in Oslo inadvertently recorded video footage of soldiers as they entered and exited vehicles, moved around, and typed security codes. These recordings were automatically stored inside the rented cars without anyone realizing it. The footage showed the soldiers' activities, including their movements and locations, as well as the security codes they input while facing the camera.

Despite discovering the recordings, the military continued to use the vehicles for the remaining portion of the exercise due to a limited supply of alternative cars. The use of dashcams raises concerns about privacy and security, as the footage could potentially be accessed by unauthorized individuals who could then gain knowledge about restricted areas and authorized entry codes.

The rental company, First Rent A Car Norway AS, is owned by Geely, a Chinese corporation. While ownership alone does not imply malicious intent, the possibility exists that Chinese intelligence agencies could exploit such access in Norway, considering their increasing capacity for operations within the country. Other nations, including Israel and Germany, have also taken steps to restrict the use of Chinese-made vehicles due to espionage risks.

However, in this case, there is no evidence that the recorded material left the cars, suggesting that the soldiers inadvertently left the cameras on and subsequently erased the footage out of boredom.