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Now Chinese-made drones rubbing US govt up the Huawei: 'Strong concerns' DJI kit threat to national security

Memo warns of regime having access to American data – remind you of anything?

A US government agency has claimed drones pose a threat to national security in an echo of its wider campaign against all things Chinese.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), drones from China (therefore meaning DJI, the world's biggest manufacturer of the kit) "contain components that can compromise your data and share your information on a server accessed beyond the company itself".

DJI makes small and medium-sized drones aimed at consumers and home builders. American news outlet CNN first reported the warning, citing a copy of a DHS memo.

"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," the memo continued.

Reg readers will recall our previous reporting about DJI and its data security practices. While the company paid for a report which concluded that its drones and apps do talk to servers in China, the real problem at the time lay with its crap security practices and occasional bypassing of vendor-approved app stores.

This seems to be a recurring set of problems with rapidly expanding Chinese tech companies selling into Western markets.

As part of the ongoing US effort to shut Chinese companies out of its markets over security fears, this latest snippet is consistent with the nation's stance against Huawei – another Chinese tech giant which has just secured a 90-day reprieve from the latest ban efforts.

When asked for how long Huawei could be facing problems with American sanctions, founder and chief exec Ren Zhengfei told the international media: "You may need to ask [US president] Trump about this question, not me." ®

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