Konnech Shared U.S. Election Data with China (China)

Konnech Inc., an East Lansing, Michigan-based election software company, provided poll worker management, election logistics, and scheduling software to election offices across the United States – including multiple Michigan jurisdictions. Forensic investigation revealed that Konnech transferred sensitive U.S. election data – including poll worker personally identifiable information (PII), building schematics, and operational logistics – to servers physically located in China, managed through Konnech’s Chinese subsidiary Jinhua Konnech (a.k.a. Jinhua Hongzheng Technology Co. Ltd.), where Chinese nationals with CCP-proximate affiliations held developer-level access. Konnech CEO Eugene Yu was arrested by the Los Angeles County District Attorney on October 4, 2022, on charges of conspiracy related to the data transfer. The case was subsequently dismissed on jurisdictional grounds – not on the merits – leaving the underlying data-transfer allegations unresolved. Under Chinese law (Article 37 of the Cybersecurity Law of the PRC), data stored on Chinese servers is subject to compelled government access upon request by Chinese authorities. U.S. election worker and facility data on Chinese servers is therefore, by operation of Chinese law, accessible to the Chinese Communist Party.