INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
The alert states that the US government has "strong concerns" that drone-makers
are storing data on China-based computer servers
The US government has issued an alert warning that Chinese-made drones
could pose a cyber-espionage risk to American businesses and other organisations that use them.The notice added that those using the flying
aircraft for tasks related to national security or critical infrastructure were most at risk.The warning does not refer to a specific
company.But market-leader DJI said it had taken steps to keep its clients' data secure."We give customers full and complete control over how
their data is collected, stored, and transmitted," the firm said in a statement."For government and critical infrastructure customers that
require additional assurances, we provide drones that do not transfer data to DJI or via the internet, and our customers can enable all the
precautions DHS [Department of Homeland Security] recommends."DJI accounts for more than 70% of the US market in drones costing more than
$500, according to research firm Skylogic.Image copyrightYuneecImage caption
Yuneec promotes the use of its drones as a
means to inspect communications and energy industry infrastructure
Yuneec - the second bestselling Chinese manufacturer -
has also said that it gives users full control of their data."All our UAV [unmanned aerial vehicles] do not share telemetry or visual data
with internal or external parties," said Chris Huhn, the firm's vice president of business development."Regardless of who you are - public
authority, company or private individual - the drone data of your Yuneec drone always remains yours."The notice was issued on Monday by the
US's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, according to CNN, which was first to report the development."The United States
government has strong concerns about any technology product that takes American data into the territory of an authoritarian state that
permits its intelligence services to have unfettered access to that data or otherwise abuses that access," it quoted the memo as
saying."China imposes unusually stringent obligations on its citizens to support national intelligence activities."It is not the first time
the US has raised such concerns.In August 2017, the US Army prohibited troops from using DJI's drones because of unspecified
The same month, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency said it suspected DJI was "providing US critical infrastructure and
law enforcement data to the Chinese government".DJI reacted at the time by saying it only collected flight logs and captured images if users
opted to share them, but it also introduced a privacy mode that it said prevented any data being uploaded to the internet.Yuneec has also
taken steps to reassure government clients and other security-conscious customers
Last year, it teamed up with a US-based software and cloud storage provider to provide "trusted solutions".The timing of the latest warning
came days after the Trump administration imposed restrictions on US firms using and providing technology to Huawei, another Shenzhen-based
Washington has cited concerns that Beijing could compel the telecoms equipment provider to help it spy on and otherwise attack countries
that use its products - something the Chinese Communist Party and Huawei itself have denied.That has led to speculation that Chinese
drone-makers could be next to face an official ban.But that could prove disruptive to a range of public agencies.Last week, a report from
the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials highlighted that all 50 of the US's states were now using drones in
some official capacity and that 36 employed certified drone pilots.Tasks involved range from road and bridge inspections, it said, to
creating complex farming programmes.
