INDEX / DIRECTORY / BYD / DIGITAL

BYD DIGITAL

DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE AUDIT UPDATED 2026-09-01
Digital Score 1.75 /10 D BYD - BDS-1000 350
Digital 1.75

Evidence-only forensic audit. Scoring happens downstream - see the main dossier for the composite assessment.

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BYD Company Ltd. - Digital Domain Audit

Enterprise Technology Stack & Vendor Relationships

Israeli-Origin Cybersecurity Software

Karamba Security Ltd. (Hod Hasharon, Israel) announced in June 2024 that BYD had selected its VCode software to create Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) for the electronic control units (ECUs) BYD uses, secure its supply chain, and support compliance with UN Regulation 155 (UN R155) 1, 2. The vendor announcement does not identify covered vehicle models or ECU programmes, say that every ECU or BYD’s entire global fleet is covered, establish production deployment, disclose contract value or duration, or confirm a renewal or expansion 2. It describes VCode generally as capable of working with CI/CD pipelines or running stand-alone on customer premises; it does not say which mode BYD adopted or establish that BYD integrated VCode into its CI/CD pipelines 2. No BYD-originated announcement or independent confirmation of the engagement’s precise deployment scope, production status, duration, renewal, expansion, termination, or one-time-project status was identified in the public sources reviewed 3, 2.

Karamba’s official leadership page states that co-founder and VP R&D Tal Ben-David served in an elite technological unit of the IDF, and that co-founder and executive chair Ami Dotan was previously VP of Strategy at Rafael, described by Karamba as Israel MOD’s leading R&D centre 4. A contemporaneous Forbes Israel company profile more specifically identifies co-founders Tal Ben-David and Assaf Harel as Unit 8200 alumni 5. These sources establish military/intelligence-technology lineage among Karamba’s founders and controlling technical leadership. They do not establish that the VCode engagement with BYD was commissioned by, supplied to, or used by an Israeli military, intelligence, security, or state body, or that VCode itself was developed under an Israeli defence contract 2, 4, 5.

Karamba Security Ltd. and Upstream Security Ltd. (both Israeli-domiciled companies) maintain a formal Threat and Vulnerability Management (TVM) partnership announced on September 4, 2023 6. Under this arrangement, Karamba provides endpoint ECU security analysis while Upstream delivers cloud-based vehicle data ingestion and threat detection across its monitored fleet 6. BYD is not named as a participant in the specific September 2023 partnership announcement 6.

No evidence was identified of BYD holding licensing, subscription, or integration relationships with Check Point Software Technologies, Wiz, SentinelOne, CyberArk, Nice Ltd., Verint, Claroty, or Palo Alto Networks 6, 3, 7. No public evidence identified.

Procurement Integrator Relationships

Shlomo Motors Ltd. serves as BYD’s sole authorized national importer and distributor in Israel for both passenger vehicles and electric buses 8. BYD appointed Shlomo Motors as distributor for new energy passenger vehicles in August 2022 8. Shlomo Motors operates 38 branches across Israel, with its headquarters address recorded at PO Box 382, Nir Zvi 7290500 and its Petah Tikva showroom located at Efal 36 9, 10. Whether Shlomo Motors operates any branch inside a West Bank settlement municipality was not confirmed from available sources 9, 10.

BYD’s authorized Israeli passenger vehicle distribution network consists exclusively of Shlomo Motors (operating under the Clal Motors brand) as the sole importer 8, 10. Active BYD passenger models in the Israeli market include ATTO 3, ATTO 2, Dolphin, Dolphin Surf, SEAL, SEALION, SEALION 7, TANG, and SEAL 6 DM-i 8, 11.

BYD’s electric bus customer in Israel is Egged Transportation Ltd., the country’s largest public transport operator 12, 13. BYD e-buses have operated on Haifa routes since 2017 12. Egged Israel took delivery of 10 new 12-meter BYD e-buses for Jerusalem route 15 in September 2019 14. BYD secured a landmark 100-bus order from Egged in November 2021, valued at approximately USD 80 million (approximately 240 million ILS), with support from Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Environmental Protection 13, 15. BYD led electric vehicle deliveries in Israel during November 2022 11.

Scale of Dependency

The public record confirms BYD’s selection of VCode for SBOM creation on ECUs it uses and for UN R155 compliance, but does not quantify the covered ECUs, models, programmes, geographic markets, production status, term, value, or organisational deployment footprint 1, 2. Karamba’s description of general VCode capabilities cannot establish BYD-specific fleet-wide or CI/CD integration 2.

No evidence was identified of Israeli-origin technology embedded in BYD’s core cloud platform, customer data analytics systems, or primary network infrastructure based on public corporate disclosures 1, 3, 7, 16. No public evidence identified.

Surveillance, Biometrics & Retail Technology

Facial Recognition & Biometrics

No evidence was identified of BYD deploying facial recognition, gait analysis, or behavioral analytics technologies sourced from Israeli vendors (including Trigo, BriefCam, AnyVision/Oosto, or Trax) in its vehicles or facilities 6, 3, 7. No public evidence identified.

Predictive Analytics & Workforce Surveillance

No evidence was identified of BYD utilizing Israeli-origin predictive policing, sentiment analysis, social media monitoring, or workforce surveillance tools 6, 3, 7, 16. No public evidence identified.

BYD Vehicle-Integrated Cameras and Data Collection

BYD vehicles sold in Israel include a Driver Monitoring System (DMS) camera equipped with a physical cover switch and panoramic cameras that process data “locally at the vehicle end” and do “not store captured data” 17. BYD Europe explicitly states that its vehicles collect certain data but emphasizes local processing without storage for panoramic camera systems 17.

A proposed class-certification action seeking approximately 300 million ILS against BYD and Shlomo Motors has been publicized through secondary social-media and video material 18, 19, 20. Those materials allege that BYD vehicles collect video, audio, GPS location, biometric data, child-identification information, and driving-behaviour data without informed consent and transfer information to servers in China, and they identify Pearl Cohen partners Haim Ravia and Tal Ron as representing the applicants 18, 19, 20. The underlying court filing was not independently located in this audit, so the allegations and current procedural status remain unverified.

Third-Party Deployment

No evidence was confirmed that Israeli surveillance technology reaches BYD indirectly via bundled enterprise software suites, managed security services, or third-party platform providers 1, 6, 3, 7, 16. BYD’s confirmed Israeli technology vendor is limited to Karamba Security for endpoint SBOM cybersecurity 1. No public evidence identified.

Cloud Infrastructure, Data Residency & Sovereign Cloud Participation

Data Centre Operations in Israel

No evidence was identified of BYD operating, leasing, or co-locating data centre infrastructure within Israel 21, 17, 16. No public evidence identified.

Government Cloud Contracts

BYD’s participation in Project Nimbus, the Israeli government’s approximately $1.2 billion cloud infrastructure program with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, has not been confirmed 22, 23, 24. No public evidence identified linking BYD to Project Nimbus.

BYD has no confirmed participation in Israeli government information technology tenders beyond the Egged bus supply contracts, which constitute public-transport procurement rather than cloud or IT services 12, 13. No public evidence identified.

Data Sovereignty & Resilience Services

BYD Europe’s privacy policy, effective July 25, 2022, explicitly discloses: “BYD Europe may transfer Personal Data to a third country or international organisations outside of the EU/EEA, such as to China” 21. BYD Europe invokes EU Model Clauses as the legal transfer mechanism for such cross-border data flows 21. No Israel-specific data processing agreement or local server option is offered to Israeli customers under available public disclosures 21, 17.

BYD’s “How BYD Protects Your Privacy & Data” page describes cloud services compliance programs but does not specify the geographic location where Israeli vehicle data is processed or stored 17.

No evidence was identified of BYD providing services explicitly marketed to ensure digital sovereignty, data residency, or infrastructure resilience for Israeli state institutions or military bodies 21, 17, 16. No public evidence identified.

Defence, Intelligence & Security Sector Technology Relationships

Military & Intelligence Contracts

Secondary reporting described a proposed or halted BYD Atto 3 arrangement for IDF officers, citing national-security concerns about embedded communications systems and sensors 23, 24. The available record does not establish a BYD award, signed contract, delivery, acceptance, registration, unit quantity, or actual IDF use 23, 24, 25, 26.

The Ministry of Defense’s 23 February 2025 leasing announcement instead names Eldan and Perry/Frey and selected Skoda, Kia and Opel models; it does not name BYD, Shlomo Motors, or the Atto 3 25. Later reporting states that the relevant EV-leasing option was not exercised 26. The approximately 600 leased vehicles removed in a later action were Chery vehicles, not BYD Atto 3s 27.

BYD is not confirmed to have any direct contractual relationship with Israel’s Ministry of Defense, IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, or other state security bodies for administrative information technology, communications infrastructure, data hosting, or analytics platforms 23, 24, 16. No public evidence identified.

The landmark BYD bus supply contracts are with Egged (a public transport operator) and are supported by Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Environmental Protection, which are civilian transportation ministries, not defense entities 12, 13, 28.

Dual-Use Technology Provision

Secondary social-media and video material alleges that BYD vehicles collect and transmit telemetry, location, and behavioural data to servers in China 18, 19. BYD Europe’s privacy policy separately says personal data may be transferred outside the EU/EEA, including to China, but that general disclosure does not establish that Israeli BYD vehicle telemetry is in fact transmitted to China, which data categories are transferred, or which vehicles or users are affected 21, 17. The allegation and the resulting Israeli regulatory scrutiny are documented; the alleged Israel-specific transmission is not independently verified 22, 18, 19, 21, 17.

The Israeli Ministry of Transportation is actively developing binding cybersecurity rules for connected vehicles, with a Knesset memorandum published in December 2025, directly triggered by concerns over BYD data collection 22. The proposed legislation would authorize the Minister of Transportation to set over-the-air update permissions, vehicle data collection and transmission limits, manufacturer remote-disabling authority, and Israeli security authority oversight over connected vehicles 22.

No evidence was confirmed that BYD’s commercially available technology has been publicly reported or documented by researchers as being deployed for military, intelligence, or law enforcement surveillance applications within Israel or occupied territories by Israeli state actors 22, 18, 23, 24, 16. No public evidence identified.

Offensive Cyber & Weapons Technology

No evidence was identified of BYD developing, selling, licensing, or maintaining offensive cyber capabilities, zero-day exploit tools, or digital weapons systems 16. No public evidence identified.

AI, Algorithmic & Autonomous Systems

AI/ML Provision to State Bodies

No evidence was identified of BYD providing artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, or autonomous decision-support systems to Israeli state, military, or security bodies 16. No public evidence identified.

Training Data & Model Development

No evidence was identified of BYD’s AI models or platforms being trained on, or provided access to, civilian population data, intercepted communications, or surveillance-derived datasets originating from Israel or occupied territories 21, 17, 16. No public evidence identified.

Autonomous Systems & Lethality

No evidence was identified of BYD providing autonomous target generation, automated threat detection, or autonomous tracking systems to Israeli military or security forces 16. No public evidence identified.

BYD Vehicle-Integrated AI Features

BYD vehicles sold globally, including in Israel, utilize the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820A Automotive platform for integrated infotainment and digital cluster systems, selected in January 2018 and deployed from approximately 2019 onward 29. BYD also employs ECARX (Nasdaq: ECX) cockpit technology in newer vehicle models 29. Neither platform is confirmed to route Israeli vehicle data through Israeli infrastructure 29.

BYD vehicles include a Driver Monitoring System (DMS) camera with AI-based detection capabilities and a physical privacy cover switch, along with panoramic cameras that process data locally without server-side storage 17.

Technology Ecosystem & R&D Footprint

Israeli R&D Centres

BYD does not have a confirmed R&D centre, engineering office, or innovation lab in Israel 30. BYD’s global R&D footprint, documented as 11 research institutes, is listed on BYDglobal.com with no Israeli facility included 30. A media report referencing “The Chinese giant’s Tel Aviv R&D center, which employs about 40 people” pertains to Alibaba Group, not BYD; Alibaba closed its Israeli development centre in June 2022 31.

Acquisitions & Investments

No evidence was identified of BYD acquiring any Israeli-origin technology companies, or making strategic investments in Israeli technology startups or venture funds 16. No public evidence identified.

Patent & Intellectual Property

No evidence was identified of BYD co-filing patents with Israeli entities, or holding licensing agreements or co-development arrangements with Israeli-domiciled entities or research institutions including the Technion, Hebrew University, Weizmann Institute, Bar Ilan University, or IDC Herzliya 30. No public evidence identified.

Civil Society Scrutiny & Regulatory History

NGO & Academic Reports

BYD is not named in the UN OHCHR database of business enterprises involved in settlement activity (List A, entries 1–158, updated September 2025 under A/HRC/60/19) 32, 33. BYD is not named in the DBIO V (Don’t Buy Into Occupation) report published November 2025, which lists 104 companies involved in settlements, occupation, and genocide 34, 35. Named technology-sector actors in the DBIO V report include Amazon, Boeing, and Cellebrite DI, with other confirmed named companies including Airbnb, Booking.com, Caterpillar, Google, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, RE/MAX, Tripadvisor, Volvo, and ZIM - BYD is absent from all available summaries 34, 35.

BYD is not named in UN A/HRC/59/23 (Albanese, July 2025), titled “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide” 36, 37. The report’s named technology-sector actors include Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Microsoft, HP, IBM, and Palantir; BYD is not cited 36, 37.

BYD is not named in predecessor UN Special Rapporteur reports (A/HRC/49/87, A/HRC/52/76, A/77/336), which focus on settler violence, Palestinian rights, and settlement expansion with no confirmed automotive OEM or connected vehicle technology company references 36. No public evidence identified.

BYD is not found in the Who Profits database (whoprofits.org), the AFSC Investigate database (investigate.afsc.org), or Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch reports specifically addressing BYD’s technology relationships with the Israeli state 38. No public evidence identified.

Egged Transportation Ltd., BYD’s bus customer, is explicitly listed in the UN OHCHR settlement database (entry #51, activity code (e): “providing services and utilities supporting the maintenance and existence of settlements”) 32, 39. Egged Taavura Ltd. (Egged’s subsidiary) is documented by Who Profits as operating bus lines to West Bank settlements including Gush Etzion, Ma’ale Adumim, Giva’at Ze’ev, Binyamin, Kiryat Arba, Jordan Valley, Shiloh, and Otniel, and holding contracts with COGAT and the Israeli Civil Administration 38. Egged Heseim (another Egged subsidiary) provides tours to the City of David settler complex in Silwan (occupied East Jerusalem), Bethlehem, Jericho, and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights 38.

Boycott & Divestment Campaigns

No organized boycott, divestment, or sanctions campaign specifically targeting BYD related to its technology provision to Israeli state institutions or settlement operations has been identified 34, 35. No public evidence identified.

Regulatory & Legal Actions

Secondary material publicizes a proposed class-certification action seeking approximately 300 million ILS against BYD and Shlomo Motors and alleging unlawful collection and processing of vehicle-user data 19, 20. Because the underlying court filing was not independently located, the allegations and current procedural status remain unverified.

The Israeli Ministry of Transportation is developing binding cybersecurity rules for connected vehicles, with a Knesset memorandum published in December 2025, directly triggered by concerns over Chinese EV data collection including BYD 22. The proposed bill would authorize the Minister of Transportation to set over-the-air update permissions, vehicle data collection and transmission limits, manufacturer remote-disabling authority, and Israeli security authority oversight 22.

Secondary reporting describes a proposed BYD officer-vehicle arrangement being halted on national-security grounds, but the available record does not establish that BYD vehicles were delivered to or accepted for IDF officer use 24, 25, 26.

Controlling Principals

Founder, Chairman, and CEO Wang Chuanfu made a visit to Israel in September 2023 as a guest of Shlomo Motors 40. No government or defense meeting counterparties were confirmed from available sources 40.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE) fully exited its BYD equity position (peak approximately 8%, acquired in 2008 for $230 million at Charlie Munger’s urging) by Q1 2025 41. Charlie Munger is deceased (November 2023) 41. No Berkshire Hathaway affiliate retains confirmed BYD equity exposure as of the most recent available disclosures 41.

Li Lu, founder of Himalaya Capital (the fund manager who introduced Charlie Munger to BYD), manages a value-investing fund with no confirmed Israeli defense, surveillance, or cyber technology holdings in its Q1 2026 13F portfolio; reported top holdings include Alphabet, Berkshire Hathaway, PDD Holdings, East West Bancorp, Moody’s, and S&P Global 42, 43.

No investments in Israeli surveillance, cyber, AI, or military-technology firms (including NSO Group, Cellebrite DI, Carbyne, AnyVision, Wiz, Palantir Israel, Check Point, SentinelOne, Verint, or Nice) were identified for BYD’s founder, shareholders holding 10% or more of shares outstanding, or key executives 41, 42, 43. No public evidence identified.

Footnotes

  1. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/06/04/2893079/0/en/Leading-EV-Manufacturer-BYD-Selects-Karamba-Security-to-Meet-Global-Automotive-Cybersecurity-Regulations.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. https://karambasecurity.com/press/2024-06-04-byd-selects-karamba-meet-global-automotive-cybersecurity-regulations ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  3. https://karambasecurity.com/press ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  4. https://karambasecurity.com/about ↩ ↩2

  5. https://forbes.co.il/karamba-security/ ↩ ↩2

  6. https://karambasecurity.com/press/2023-09-04-karamba-upstream-partner-end-to-end-automotive-vulnerability-mgmt-tvm ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  7. https://upstream.auto/partners ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  8. https://www.byd.com/eu/news-list/BYD-Appoints-Shlomo-Motors-as-Distributor-for-New-Energy-Passenger-Vehicles-in-Israel ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  9. https://www.car-importers.org.il/Members_en/trucks ↩ ↩2

  10. https://www.linkedin.com/company/clal-motors-ltd- ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  11. https://www.byd.com/eu/news-list/BYD-Leads-Electric-Vehicle-Deliveries-in-Israel-in-November ↩ ↩2

  12. https://www.bydeurope.com/article/234 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  13. https://www.sustainable-bus.com/news/israel-largest-electric-bus-order-byd ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  14. https://www.facebook.com/bydeurope/posts/egged-israels-largest-public-transport-operator-has-taken-delivery-of-10-new-12m/2871048192908538 ↩

  15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl2KVh-gsD0 ↩

  16. https://s203.q4cdn.com/359152850/files/doc_financials/2024/ar/2024-Annual-Report-on-Form-20-F.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  17. https://www.byd.com/eu/ownership/how-byd-protects-your-privacy-data ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  18. https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1lywp85/chinese_electric_cars_in_israel_found_to_be ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BspklB513FE ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  20. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pearl-cohen_pearlcohen-dataprivacy-privacylaw-activity-7456994971628412928-i3JL ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  21. https://www.bydeurope.com/privacy-policy ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  22. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/ujxpwqu5y ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  23. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-swerves-away-from-chinese-cars-driven-by-worries-of-spies-lurking-in-everyday-tech ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  24. https://www.sofx.com/idf-halts-deployment-of-chinese-electric-vehicles-due-to-espionage-fears ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  25. https://mod.gov.il/%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%96%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%97%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%93-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%99%D7%98%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9F/%D7%9E%D7%9B%D7%A8%D7%96-%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-%D7%9C%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%AA%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%91%D7%A2-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%93-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%99%D7%98%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%95%D7%90%D7%92%D7%A3-%D7%94%D7%98%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99%D7%94-%D7%95%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%A6%D7%94%D7%9C-%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%90-%D7%9C%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%9A ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  26. https://cars.walla.co.il/item/3719442 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  27. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hkv0bxb1wx ↩

  28. https://www.car-importers.org.il/assets/files/67791698268525.pdf ↩

  29. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chinas-byd-selects-qualcomm-automotive-solutions-to-help-drive-immersive-connected-and-intelligent-in-vehicle-experiences-300579277.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  30. https://www.bydglobal.com/en/InnovationByd.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  31. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/tech-news/2022-06-28/ty-article/.premium/chinese-giant-alibaba-to-close-israel-office/00000181-a8b9-de3f-a9af-edbdc2c80000 ↩

  32. https://www.ohchr.org/en/business/bhr-database ↩ ↩2

  33. https://www.un.org/unispal/document/business-database-26sep25 ↩

  34. https://www.alhaq.org/publications/26931.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  35. https://dontbuyintooccupation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-DBIO-V-report-1.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  36. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5923-economy-occupation-economy-genocide-report-special-rapporteur ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  37. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/1/un-report-lists-companies-complicit-in-israels-genocide-who-are-they ↩ ↩2

  38. https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/4065 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  39. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_operating_in_West_Bank_settlements ↩

  40. https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-chinas-byd-chairman-wang-chuanfu-visits-israel-1001457388 ↩ ↩2

  41. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/21/buffett-byd-exits-stake.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  42. https://www.himcap.com ↩ ↩2

  43. https://stockcircle.com/portfolio/himalaya-capital ↩ ↩2