More than a thousand police departments and first responders across the United States use drones for public safety, but a new memo from federal officials warns that those drones may do more harm than good, posing a threat to national security depending on who manufactures them. A Wednesday, Jan. 17 memo from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warns that China is collecting data from drones made by Chinese-based manufacturers, which includes most drones on the market.
The memo calls on all private and public agencies that use drones to collect information to be wary of where they come from. According to Drone Industry Insights, the global drone market has soared, surpassing $30 billion in 2022. According to the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, most drones are Chinese-made.
- 90% of drones in the hobby market are manufactured by Chinese companies
- 70% of drones in the industrial market are manufactured by Chinese companies
- 80% of drones in the first responder market are manufactured by Chinese companies
DJI, a China-based company, flew into the scene in 2013 and now controls 70% of the global drone market, with its drones featured in electronic stores nationwide and thousands of online vlogs.
In 2022, the Department of Defense said DJI is a golden ticket for Chinese surveillance, calling it a Chinese military company. But in an interview with CNBC International, the drone maker denied that any data had been given to China.
“We’ve also cooperated with the U.S. 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,” said Adam Welsh, DJI head of global policy.
Wednesday’s memo, however, warns that companies like DJI may not have a choice but to give data to the Chinese government, citing a 2015 law expanding oversight of domestic and foreign companies operating within China. 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 FBI, CISA memo read.
Federal officials said data collected by the People’s Republic of China would be essential to its military strategies and could allow it to exploit any vulnerabilities within the U.S. An expert formerly working within the Department of Homeland Security told CNN that while “this is not the boogeyman,” the feds are rightly pointing out the risk.
