U.S. Senators expressed concerns about users manipulating drones made by the Chinese company DJI to allow them to fly over restricted zones in Washington, D.C., Politico reported.
Multiple congressional committees, including the Senate Homeland Security, Commerce, and Intelligence panels, received classified briefings on the matter from federal officials and experts on drone technology.
Politico found in interviews with government officials, legislators, aides, and contractors, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, that many are concerned about the proliferation of sophisticated drones used in swarms above the U.S. capitol. They also note that they do not believe the Chinese government is directing these activities.
"Any technological product with origins in China or Chinese companies holds a real risk and potential of vulnerability that can be exploited both now and in a time of conflict," Sen. Marco Rubio, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Politico. "They're manufactured in China or manufactured by a Chinese company, but they'll put a sticker on it of some non-Chinese company that repackages it so you don't even know that you're buying it."
Rubio added: "Anything that's technological has the capability of having embedded, in the software or in the actual hardware, vulnerabilities that can be exploited at any given moment."
"This is part of a trend of commercial drones for potentially nefarious reasons," said Rachel Stohl, the vice president of research programs at the Stimson Center, an organization that tracks the worldwide drone industry. "We're seeing in conflict zones, in other theaters, the reliance and use of commercial drones."
Stohl continued: "These may be just innocent data collection — or really just looking around, seeing what's happening — and not in a systemized way. But the potential, of course, is that eventually they could be more dangerous."
A spokesperson for DJI Technology, Inc. told Politico: "Unfortunately, while DJI puts everything in place to identify and notify our customers about areas in which they can't fly, we can't control the end users' behavior. But we do everything from our end to ensure that they do follow the regulations that are set out by their localities."
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