A bipartisan group of senators has called on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to evaluate potential risks posed by unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured by Chinese drone developer Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology.
In a letter to Jen Easterly, director of CISA and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, the senators requested an analysis of the security risks associated with the widespread use of DJI-manufactured drones to inspect U.S. critical infrastructure, the office of Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said Thursday.
“This sensitive information on the layout, operation, and maintenance of U.S. critical infrastructure could better enable targeting efforts in the event of conflict,” the senators wrote.
According to the senators, DJI dominated 90 percent of the consumer drone market in North America in 2021 and over 70 percent of the industrial market. Seventy-three percent of public safety organizations reportedly used the Chinese company’s aircraft in 2019.
The Department of Defense officially identified DJI as a “Chinese military company” in 2022 following reports that it provides sensitive information on U.S. infrastructure and law enforcement to the Chinese government.
The letter comes a month after Warner, a three-time Wash100 Award recipient, introduced legislation to prohibit the purchase of drones from China and other countries identified as national security threats.
