The Commerce Department said Thursday it is considering rules that could limit or even ban the sale of Chinese-made drones in the US – a move that follows growing alarm over a disturbing series of unidentified drone sightings in New Jersey and New York.
The department is seeking public comments by March 4 to bolster security in the US drone supply chain – and cited “acute threats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia” that “may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive US data.”
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the move was “an essential step in protecting the United States from vulnerabilities posed by foreign entities.”
“Securing the unmanned aircraft systems technology supply chain is critical to safeguarding our national security,” Raimondo said in a statement.
China has a stranglehold on the world’s drone market. One firm, Shenzhen-based DJI, has a more than 90% market share for consumer-level drones, according to MIT Technology Review.
Paul Rosenzweig, a former Homeland Security deputy assistant secretary, told The Post that the “risks from Chinese drones are modest compared to other risks from Chinese technology –for example, in 5G technology or chips.”
However, Chinese-made drones are still a risk factor in the supply chain worth addressing, he said.
“There is no doubt that DJI drones are a greater risk than, say, drones manufactured in Germany and a focus on reducing that vulnerability is welcome,” said Rosenzweig.
The timeline means that President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, will have final say on whether a ban on Chinese drones is implemented. Trump has tapped billionaire Howard Lutnick to replace Raimondo.
USA TODAY photo illustration; photos by Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Trump transition representatives did not immediately return a request for comment.
Last month, Congress passed a bill that will ban the sale of new drones by DJI or another firm, Autel Robotics, within a year if a US security review determines they pose an “unacceptable risk” to national security.
Congress previously barred the Pentagon in 2019 from buying or using drones and components manufactured in China.
DJI has denied wrongdoing – and sued the Defense Department in October for adding the firm to a list of companies that allegedly work with the Chinese military. DJI claims the designation is inaccurate.
US officials have grown increasingly concerned about China’s control over drones and other key burgeoning technologies – but those fears have surged in recent weeks due to a lack of concrete answers about the origins of unmanned aircraft spotted in New Jersey and New York.
Last month, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul made the bombshell claim that some of the aircraft were likely “spy drones” from China.
Drones are just one area of concern.
James Linsell Clark / SWNS
As The Post reported in August, some critics, including the Trump-appointed incoming undersecretary of state Jacob Helberg, have called for a total ban of Chinese-made humanoid robots.
At the time, Helberg said advancements in humanoid technology have occurred “mind-bogglingly fast” and likened the robots and other drone-like devices a “Chinese PLA stealth army on our land.”
Experts have also pointed to potential exploitation of “smart” devices, like wearable fitness trackers and doorbell cameras, that could be exploited for nefarious reasons by China and other adversaries.
The US government is also grappling with a massive breach of telecom firms by Chinese hackers that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone calls made by Americans.
Elsewhere, the Supreme Court is set to rule on the constitutionality of a law forcing a sale or ban of TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance. Trump filed a brief asking the top court to delay the law so that he could find a solution.
With Post wires
