A major US paid company sold to a Singapore-based company under the Biden administration reignited national security concerns over its link with China after winning an E-ZPass contract for the New Jersey Turnpike I'm letting me do it. It has been running it for 22 years.
In September, the New Jersey Turnpike Bureau was awarded Transcore, owned by Singapore Technologies Engineering, known as ST Engineering. This has gained full authority to run the business for $1.73 billion for $1.73 billion.
Now, Kondint is crying for a foul and questioning the reasons behind the transcore to win the contract he's held for over 20 years.
Conduent has filed an appeal over the Nashville-based Transcore award, expressing concern that owner St Engineering's parent company Temasek Holdings is entirely owned by the Singapore government and has considerable ties to China. It's there.
Until recently, fu chengyuThe longtime chairman of the state-owned Chinese oil company – protests have ties to China's united front as a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) – was a member of Temasek's board of directors.
2022, Washington Free Beacon The FU reported, “I participated in the Chinese Political Council meeting. It is a major hub of China's united front system and is carrying out foreign influence operations by the Communist Party of China.”
Fu resigned from the board about six weeks after Conduent's first protest, but he has an influence within Temasek as director of the company's Chinese-specific subsidiary. Investment company announcement Departure from his board.
When ST Engineering was seeking approval from the Treasury Department's Committee on Foreign Investment in the US to acquire Transcore in 2021, the company's spokesman would be operating “without interference from the government or Temasek.” He argued that, but national security experts say that if a transaction is made, it means that transcore data could fall into the hands of Singapore, China and potentially other countries. It may be.
Individuals, businesses and government agencies signing up for automatic payments at the Toll booth will provide confidential information such as addresses, credit card numbers, driver's license information and license plate numbers to traffic operators such as Transcore. 70% of tolls paid in the US.
The company has won more US contracts since its acquisition.
Exposing American data to foreign enemies has been a greater concern ever since.
Last year, Congress passed a law ordering Tiktok, a video sharing app owned by Chinese company ordinance, given that CCPs require companies to provide access to data.
Conduent consultant, former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-NJ), said that the situation where foreign-owned companies like Transcore have access to the US fee system is “worst” than the threat from Tiktok. I mentioned.
“I'm not sure if this is going to be too much, or why this isn't paying more attention,” Torricelli told Fox Business in an interview. “I rather knew what Chinese people were looking at Tiktok rather than watching my car and monitoring the New Jersey turnpike up and down. Why aren't people even more angry about it? I really don't know if that's the case.”
The New Jersey Turnpike is one of the busiest highways in the United States and is a major artery between major cities on the East Coast.
Torricelli warned that all major US government officials traveling between New York and Washington, DC could be able to monitor transport patterns if Transcore secures a contract. He said that important cargoes like chemicals, as well as even US military equipment and movements can be tracked regularly.
“There needs to be national security concerns here,” the former senator said. “It's much more important than what nonsense is happening in Tiktok, but it was mainly under the radar.”
The New Jersey Turnpike Bureau (NJTA) is concerned about whether committee members are concerned about the possibility that e-ZPass customers data may be obtained by the Singapore and China governments, and why Transcore is awarding a contract to Transcore. When asked if he was doing so, he declined to comment. $250 million more than the low bids of competitors.
An NJTA spokesperson noted that Conduent's protest against the e-ZPass contract award is still being decided, and Turnpike authorities will not comment before the process ends and the final agency decision is issued. I mentioned.
Transcore's president and CEO Whitt Hall told Fox Business in a statement that the company is based in the US based on its entire 85-year history.
He said Transcore is “always absolutely transparent about its ownership structure,” and “is the only fee system provider in the world that manufactures all fee products in the United States.”
“Transcore is the safest US traffic through best-in-class system design, strict compliance with all state and agency-specific data and cybersecurity requirements, and a multi-tier approach to its National Security Agreement (NSA). Provides a fee system. Together with the U.S. Judicial and Treasury Department, we will ensure that any personally identifiable information or protected data collected is not accessible or shared by foreign entities or affiliates. It's being implemented for that,” Hall said. “The objection is wrong.”
When Tiktok attempted to convince the US government to continue operating in the US despite its Beijing-based ownership, social media companies $1.5 billion to secure data on American Americans in Singapore's backup US-based data storage that has vowed to invest in and pivot completely.
Nevertheless, Congress passed a law requiring it to be sold or closed.
Torricelli believes Transcore deserves even more scrutiny.
“It's true, if there's ever been a rise in tension with the Chinese, they'll be monitoring our most important internal transport,” he told Fox Business. “It would be hard to imagine American companies having access to the internal travel and sensitive information and products of Chinese government officials. I don't blame the Chinese, they are not negligent. That's us.”
