US University Researchers Contributed to Chinese Vehicle Surveillance Tech, Report Claims

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison collaborated on vehicle technology with China that enables real-time tracking and control of cars, according to a report. This "vehicle-road-cloud" integration links vehicles with roadside infrastructure and central cloud platforms, allowing authorities to monitor traffic and, at advanced levels, issue commands to connected vehicles.

This development has alarmed U.S. officials, who last year moved to restrict certain Chinese and Russian connected-vehicle technology due to concerns that foreign adversaries could collect sensitive data or remotely manipulate vehicles. Beijing has begun deploying such systems across China.

According to the report, findings from which were shared with Fox News Digital, UW-Madison researchers were involved in technical work that included an institute affiliated with China's Ministry of Public Security. In 2017, UW-Madison formally established a Joint Research Institute with Southeast University, focusing on intelligent transportation and vehicle-road-cloud technology. By 2019, UW-Madison's College of Engineering noted the institute had launched. Two years later, UW researchers appeared on technical work involving the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.

Five UW-Madison researchers were among 46 contributors to a Chinese industry report on vehicle-road cooperative automated driving. The UW-SEU joint institute was listed as a drafting unit, alongside the Traffic Management Research Institute of China's Ministry of Public Security.

There is a dispute regarding the extent of UW-Madison's institutional involvement. Counsel for a UW professor told Strategy Risks, the report's author, that the proposed arrangement was never implemented and the institute was never operational, funded, or staffed by UW. Strategy Risks stated it could not independently resolve this dispute but noted public records from both universities describe the institute as established.

Meanwhile, related vehicle-road-cloud technology became a key part of China's national connected-vehicle strategy. In 2023, three major Chinese standards bodies, including Southeast University and the Road Traffic Safety Research Center of China's Ministry of Public Security, published a framework for this integration. In 2024, the Ministry of Public Security, along with four other ministries, launched a vehicle-road-cloud pilot program in 20 cities and regions. This program involves installing connected roadside equipment and sensing systems, building cloud platforms capable of communicating with vehicles, and real-time tracking of participating vehicles. Chinese authorities describe the program as a means to enhance traffic safety, advance autonomous driving, and boost the country's connected-vehicle industry.

Strategy Risks clarified that it does not accuse UW-Madison of intentionally transferring technology to China's security apparatus. However, the report argues that the research contributed to technology with significant surveillance, military, and human rights dimensions that Beijing has incorporated into national standards.