Feds warn China is collecting data from drones used in the US

ROBERTSON: THE GLOBAL DRONE MARKET IS SOARING. CURRENT ESTIMATES SAY ITS WORTH SURPASSED 30-BILLION DOLLARS IN 2022, ACCORDING TO DRONE INDUSTRY INSIGHTS.

AND THERE IS NO SIGN OF IT SLOWING DOWN. 

MORE THAN A THOUSAND POLICE DEPARTMENTS, AND FIRST RESPONDERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES USE DRONES IN THE NAME OF PUBLIC SAFETY. 

BUT A NEW MEMO FROM THE FEDS IS RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER SOME OF THOSE DRONES DO MORE HARMTHAN THAN GOOD.

THAT’S BECAUSE DEPENDING ON THE MANUFACTURER, THEY COULD POSE A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY.

THE WARNING FROM THE F-B-I AND THE CYBERSECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AGENCY WAS RELEASED THIS WEEK.
IT SAYS CHINA IS COLLECTING DATA FROM DRONES MADE BY CHINESE-BASED MANUFACTURERS, WHICH INCLUDES MOST DRONES ON THE MARKET.
THE MEMO CALLS ON ALL AGENCIES, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC TO BE WARY OF WHERE THEY COME FROM.

ACCORDING TO ASSOCIATION FOR UNCREWED VEHICLE SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL – CHINESE MADE DRONES MAKE UP MORE THAN 90-PERCENT OF THE AMERICAN HOBBY DRONE MARKET, 70-PERCENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL DRONE MARKET, AND 80-PERCENT OF THE FIRST RESPONDER DRONE MARKET.

AND THE COMPANY CURRENTLY DOMINATING THE WORLD’S DRONE MARKET IS ONE YOU’VE LIKELY HEARD OF, D-J-I – A CHINESE-BASED COMPANY THAT GOT ITS START MORE THAN A DECADE AGO. 

NOW, D-J-I CONTROLS 70-PERCENT OF THE GLOBAL DRONE MARKET, WITH ITS DRONES FEATURED IN ELECTRONIC STORES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND THOUSANDS OF VLOGS ON THE INTERNET.

IN 20-22, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SAID D-J-I IS A GOLDEN TICKET FOR CHINESE SURVEILLANCE, CALLING IT A CHINESE MILITARY COMPANY.

IN AN INTERVIEW WITH C-N-B-C THE DRONE MAKER DENIED THAT ANY DATA HAD BEEN GIVEN TO CHINA.

ADAM WELSH – DJI: “We’ve also cooperated with the US Department of Interior with their audit, with Idaho National Lab doing an audit for Department of Homeland Security and in no case that they found that data is going anywhere it shouldn’t.”

ROBERTSON: WEDNESDAY’S MEMO HOWEVER, WARNS THAT COMPANIES LIKE D-J-I MAY NOT HAVE A CHOICE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO WITH THE DATA. CITING A 20-15 LAW THAT EXPANDED OVERSIGHT OF DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN COMPANIES OPERATING WITHIN CHINA.

AND SINCE THEN CHINA’S POWER OVER THESE COMPANIES HAS ONLY GROWN.

“The 2021 Data Security Law expands the PRC’s access to and control of companies and data within China and imposes strict penalties on China-based businesses for non-compliance.”

THE FEDS SAY DATA COLLECTED BY THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA WOULD BE ESSENTIAL TO ITS MILITARY STRATEGIES, AND COULD GIVE IT THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLOIT ANY VULNERABILITIES WITHIN THE U-S.

AN EXPERT FORMERLY WORKING WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TELLING C-N-N THAT WHILE “THIS IS NOT THE BOGEYMAN” – THE FEDS ARE RIGHTLY POINTING OUT THE RISK.