New bill seeks ‘phase-out’ of LiDAR tech tied to foreign adversaries

New legislation from the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party would “phase-out the use” of Light Detection and Ranging — or LiDAR — technologies across the federal government and within critical infrastructure services if they are made by companies linked to adversarial nations, including China. 

LiDAR, a remote-sensing technology that uses pulsed laser light to map terrain, is used in autonomous vehicles, geographic information systems and other advanced capabilities. Chinese manufacturers, in particular, have secured a major foothold in the technology’s global supply chain, which has raised cybersecurity and national security concerns.

The measure, introduced on Wednesday by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., would prohibit U.S. companies from making new purchases of LiDAR products from foreign adversaries within three years of the bill’s passage. Critical infrastructure operators and other federal entities would also be directed to replace covered legacy LiDAR tech from their systems within five years of the bill’s enactment.

The proposal includes certain exceptions, such as LiDAR products used for research and academic purposes, and also allows for waivers if the continued use of some of the technologies is deemed to be “in the national interest of the United States.” The Commerce Department would also be mandated to create a national security task force to review potential LiDAR-associated risks moving forward.

“Foreign adversary dominance of LiDAR technologies, and the widespread use of such technologies in the United States, creates profound opportunities for such adversaries to engage in espionage, technical compromise, and the disruption of sensitive supply chains, presenting an unacceptable threat to our nation’s security,” the bill warns.

Although the proposal takes a firm line against specific foreign adversaries — including Russia, Iran and North Korea — the primary focus of the bill is on Chinese-made LiDAR systems. 

The measure says, in part, that the CCP “seeks to dominate LiDAR technologies, which are critical not only for military advancements, but to the People’s Republic of China’s broader efforts to undermine the national security of the United States.”

Krishnamoorthi warned in a statement that “as these sensors collect sensitive environmental and operational data, embedding CCP-linked LiDAR in our networks would hand an authoritarian adversary a silent gateway into America’s infrastructure and Americans’ daily lives.”

“The SAFE LiDAR Act takes a proactive, commonsense step to secure our supply chains, protect advanced technologies from compromise, enhance Americans’ security, and ensure these systems are built by trusted partners,” he added. “America and our allies should lead in LiDAR innovation — not cede control of this critical technology to foreign adversaries who will use their control to endanger Americans.”

Krishnamoorthi and other members of the House Select Committee on the CCP have repeatedly expressed concerns about the use of Chinese-linked LiDAR tech across the government and within critical infrastructure, particularly when it comes to cybersecurity. 

A bipartisan group of the panel’s members introduced legislation in September that would prohibit the Transportation Department from using taxpayer funds to purchase LiDAR equipment from Chinese firms or those with ties to other adversarial nations. That proposal came after the panel began to more directly securitize the cyber risks posed by LiDAR equipment produced by firms with ties to Beijing. 

In November 2023, Krishnamoorthi and then-committee chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., also led a letter to Biden administration officials calling for an investigation into whether Chinese-linked LiDAR firms should be included on government-restricted entities lists. 

Nextgov/FCW Cybersecurity Reporter David DiMolfetta contributed to this report.