President Donald Trump has sought to get an edge on China's tech market by not only blocking American firms from selling artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China, but also tracking these companies' shipments to ensure compliance.
"U.S. authorities have secretly placed location tracking devices in targeted shipments of advanced chips they see as being at high risk of illegal diversion to China, according to two people with direct knowledge of the previously unreported law enforcement tactic," reports Reuters.
While the government's tracking efforts only apply to "select shipments under investigation," Reuters was unable to determine the extent of this practice or the agencies involved. However, the outlet identified the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, which oversees export controls and enforcement, as well as Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, as potential partners.
