US Interior Department Grounds Drone Fleet Over Fears of Chinese Spying
AnonTechie writes:
The United States Interior Department is grounding its fleet of more than 800 drones over concerns that the Chinese is using the devices to spy or facilitate cyberattacks, according to the Wall Street Journal.
There have been growing concerns among military and Homeland Security officials that the UAVs, which are made in China or consist of Chinese-made parts, are gathering sensitive information for the Chinese government.
[...] DJI told Gizmodo in a statement that the company is "disappointed to learn of this development," adding that it has "worked with the Department of Interior to create a safe and secure drone solution that meets their rigorous requirements, which was developed over the course of 15 months with DOI officials, independent cybersecurity professionals, and experts at NASA."
[...] Last month a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill aiming to block federal agencies from purchasing UAVs from China. "China has stolen sensitive drone technology from America's businesses and military for years, and now sells it back to us from a dominant position in the commercial drone market," said one of the bill's sponsors, Senator Tom Cotton, said in a statement at the time. "Relying on drones made by our adversaries is a clear risk to our national security."
US Interior Department Grounds Drone Fleet
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