"Drones made in China are sending sensitive flight data to their manufacturers as well as the government," the US Department of Homeland Security warned.
Drones are a “potential risk to an organization’s information,” the Security Service says. The products “contain features that can compromise your data and share your information with a server to which the manufacturer has access.”
The report does not name specific manufacturers, but nearly 80% of drones used in the US and Canada come from DJI, which is based in Shenzhen, China. In fact, US local authorities and many organizations have been using these drones in recent years.
"The United States government has strong concerns about any technology product originating from an authoritarian state, such as China, that allows its intelligence agencies to have unrestricted access to personal data or otherwise abuses access," the Department emphasizes.
Also announced was an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last week that effectively banned American businesses from using telecommunications equipment from Chinese company Huawei, which has sparked concerns about government espionage in recent times.
The United States and China are today trapped in a trade war that has eroded the relationship between the two countries.
US officials have expressed concerns about government spyingin the past. In 2017, the US military issued a ban on the use of DJI drones, alleging that the company shared critical infrastructure data and sensitive legal information with the Chinese government.
Also that year, an internal report from a Los Angeles immigration intelligence unit assessed that DJI was “selectively targeting government and private entities within the U.S. to collect and exploit sensitive data.”
- Users are warned to “be careful when purchasing” drones from China and to take precautionary measures such as disabling Internet and removing digital cards.
- Additionally, they should understand how to properly operate and restrict device access to networks to avoid information theft.
On the other hand, DJI stated that it gives customers full control over how their data is collected, stored, and transmitted.
“At DJI, safety is at the heart of everything we do, and the security of our technology has been verified by the US government and leading US businesses,” the company said.
DJI, which reported revenue of $2.7 billion in 2017, is best known for its popular Phantom drone. The drone is the leading commercial drone on the market.
