DJI Drones Could Be the Latest Target of Trump Administration's Offense Against China
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned U.S. companies to “be cautious” of Chinese-built drones “as they may contain components that can compromise your data and share your information on a server accessed beyond the company itself.”
The Chinese company DJI is the world’s biggest drone company by far.
In 2017, U.S. Homeland Security officials issued a similar memo claiming it had “moderate confidence” that DJI’s drones and software are “providing U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government,” citing a reliable source “with first and secondhand access.”
DJI denied that 2017 report. There is no new public evidence available to support the American claim of Chinese spying enabled by DJI. The company issued another strong denial on Monday after reports of the DHS advisory emerged.
“At DJI, safety is at the core of everything we do, and the security of our technology has been independently verified by the U.S. government and leading U.S. businesses,” DJI spokesperson Adam Lisberg told Gizmodo. “We give customers full and complete control over how their data is collected, stored, and transmitted. 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 recommends.”
In 2018, DJI contracted an American company to conduct an independent analysis of the company’s data and security practices. The report from San Francisco-based Kivu Consulting defended DJI’s handling of data storage, flight logs, and personally indefinable information.
Homeland Security officials have spent much of 2019 pressing Chinese spying fears.
“Russia’s trying to disrupt the system,” Chris Krebs, director of CISA, said earlier this year. But “China is trying to manipulate the system to its ultimate long-term advantage.”
The renewed push against DJI is taking on new importance just days after an executive order from President Donald Trump pushed Google, Intel, and Qualcomm to cut off some key services to Huawei, China’s biggest smartphone maker, due ostensibly to national security concerns. On Monday, markets around the world have been thrown into chaos as investors have sent tech stocks plummeting while everyone figures out the long term repercussions of recent events.
The order against Huawei and warning against DJI are part of what could become a genuine tech Cold War. American action follows years of Chinese bans on U.S. tech companies including Google and Facebook.
The entire tech conflict is just one dimension of a larger fight that now characterizes the icy and escalating trade war between the United States and China.
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Information security has been a question for DJI since forever, because the drones must be constantly open to link to the constructor for software updates - no-fly zones and stuff like that. It seems very suspicious that despite constant scrutiny of DJI since forever, the US is suddenly all upset...
Let's remember that the Administration put tariffs on imports from the EU, on the grounds of "national security". The Administration canceled NAFTA on the grounds of "national security". If "national security" was a joke then, why is it credible now?
Are you saying we should simply trust the intentions of the Chinese and other governments who don't have out best interests at heart.
Not at all.
Right now, America runs the world. China wants to run the world. There's only one throne...
"King of the Hill" can get rough.
My problem is that I have absolutely no confidence in either Trump or his advisors. Are we ready for hardball?
For those who can read French, there's a very good article in Le Monde :
La Chine se prépare à une longue guerre froide technologique avec les Etats-Unis
China is preparing for a long technological cold war against the United States
Subtitle:
Huawei est dans le collimateur du président Donald Trump. En réalité, les Américains refusent que les Chinois, adversaires stratégiques, se hissent au même niveau qu’eux.
Huawei is in President Donald Trump's crosshairs. In fact, the Americans will not allow the Chinese, strategic enemies, to rise to their level.
My microwave makes funny noises and beeps some kind of code!
My headphones won't let go of my head!!!
Arghhhhhhhhhh........
My microwave keeps blinking its lights at me.