The US Department of Homeland Security has taken aim at Chinese drone manufacturers such as DJI in a warning about potential data leaks, expanding the scrutiny by US authorities of the country’s tech industry.
The memo warns American businesses about the hazards of using drones manufactured or sold by companies “operating under the control or influence of a foreign authoritarian state”, since the camera- and sensor-laden devices are “capable of collecting and transferring potentially revealing data about their operations and the individuals and entities operating them”.
The warning follows President Donald Trump’s executive order last week that effectively bars US companies from doing business with China’s Huawei, as trade tensions between the two countries flared.