BEIJING—Escalating the global battle for digital supremacy, Chinese authorities announced Monday they are launching a full-scale cybersecurity probe into Micron Technology, citing concerns that American-made memory chips may be secretly transmitting Beijing’s snack preferences to Boise.

Officials at the Cyberspace Administration of China gave few details, but stressed that the investigation followed the alarming discovery that many Chinese devices contain components “with suspiciously high potato DNA.” “We have reason to believe these chips are not just storing memories, but also stealing them,” said Zhang Wei, director of the Very Serious Security Committee. “We will not tolerate even the possibility that sensitive data—such as Premier Li’s Wordle scores—could fall into Western hands.”

Micron Technology, based in Idaho, denied any wrongdoing. “We can categorically state that our chips do not assist in espionage, though we can’t guarantee your browser history will remain private in the event of a potato famine,” said Micron spokesperson Chad Russet. “We’re committed to the highest standards of international snacking and security.”

The probe comes as a surprise to experts, given China’s previous expertise in both technology and highly confidential data collection. “Frankly, it’s nice to see them worrying about foreign surveillance for a change,” said Lydia Yamsworth, chief analyst at Chips4All. “Ironically, most Micron chips just crash when asked to process anything more classified than a TikTok login.”

China says it will continue the probe until all national hardware is deemed “100% safe, reliable, and filled only with chips of domestic origin, or at least flavored wasabi.”