Trump Signs Bill Banning Use of China-Based Engineers on Pentagon Computers
ProPublica • • world
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion defense policy law banning individuals from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from accessing the Pentagon’s cloud computing systems to bolster national security.
- The law responds to a ProPublica investigation revealing that Microsoft used China-based engineers to service Defense Department systems for nearly a decade, exposing sensitive data to potential cyber threats.
- The Pentagon updated cybersecurity requirements in September to prohibit China-based personnel from working on Defense Department systems, and the new legislation codifies this ban while increasing congressional oversight.
- Microsoft pledged to stop using China-based engineers after public condemnation but had previously failed to fully disclose its “digital escort” program designed to supervise foreign engineers, which Pentagon officials only learned about after the investigation.
- Congressional leaders,
