Chairmen Guthrie, Bilirakis, and Joyce Request Investigation into China-Backed Company Collecting Brain Wave Data on Elite American Athletes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, and Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, sent letters to Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and Howard Lutnick, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, urging the administration to investigate and address potential national security risks posed by BrainCo, a neural technology company allegedly funded by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
KEY EXCERPTS:
“The Committee on Energy and Commerce has long warned about the national and economic security risks of CCP-aligned entities accessing Americans’ personal and proprietary information. The use of American data by CCP-aligned entities, such as BrainCo, to develop and deploy AI underscores our concerns. […] The Committee urges swift action to investigate and address the potential national and economic security risks posed by BrainCo’s operations in the United States and its access to Americans’ personal information.”
BACKGROUND:
- According to recent reporting, the company was started by MIT and Harvard scientists but has “been quietly backed by the Chinese government-linked entities for nearly a decade.”
- BrainCo products reportedly harvest personalized brainwave data from users.
- BrainCo is reportedly working with sanctioned PRC military contractors.
- BrainCo products reportedly have been used by Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin, number two world tennis player, Jannik Sinner, U.S. Olympic teams, and many others.
- Along with DeepSeek, BrainCo is considered one of China’s “Six Little Dragons” — meaning one of the CCP’s most promising young tech startups.
- The PRC’s National Intelligence Law of 2017 requires PRC individuals and entities to support PRC intelligence services.
CLICK HERE to read exclusive coverage of the letter.
CLICK HERE to read the Hunterbrook Media story on their investigation into BrainCo.
CLICK HERE to listen to the corresponding Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast episode.
CLICK HERE to read the letters to Attorney General Bondi, Chairman Ferguson, and Secretary Lutnick.
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