Politico: Chinese marches in Washington raise security concerns

Politico reports that many hundreds of Chinese-made drones have been spotted in Washington’s no-fly zones in recent months.

Politico wrote that US authorities and intelligence agencies fear that these devices will become a new tool for foreign espionage.

DJI hobby drones have software restrictions that prevent them from flying over government facilities in the US capital, such as the White House, the Capitol and the Pentagon. But the reality is that users can easily bypass these restrictions.

Politico notes that this issue is of concern to US lawmakers. Accordingly, many closed sessions were organized in the Senate with the participation of officials and specialists in the production of drones. However, it is not yet clear whether Congress will do something to counter this threat.

Rachel Table, spokesperson for the Stimson Think Tank, tells the newspaper: “There is a trend towards the use of drones for malicious purposes, as drones are being used ubiquitously in conflict zones and on the warfields in other regions.

Of course, you can limit yourself to collecting innocent, irregular data, or just opening up the world around you and watching what happens here and there. On the other hand, the possibility remains that drones pose a real danger.

The ease with which amateur users circumvent flight restrictions means that high-resolution cameras or other sensors can be bypassed to gather intelligence. This, in turn, allows foreign intelligence to collect data not only on ordinary citizens, but also on critical US infrastructure.

DJI’s association with Chinese leadership, which the company itself denies, raises suspicions with Senate Intelligence Committee vice chairman Marco Rubio, who told the newspaper: “Any technology product that is made in China at the government level or with Chinese companies involves real risks, and he can exploit the potential vulnerabilities we have that can be exploited now or in the event of a conflict.

The Pentagon banned the purchase of Chinese-made drones 5 years ago, but according to a 2020 study, thousands of federal and state security centers rely heavily on DJI drones.

More than 870,000 drones are currently registered in the US, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. This number is expected to reach 2.3 by 2024.

These ostensibly amateur planes are increasingly flying into restricted areas. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Samantha Winograd told senators that since 2018, the US Secret Service has shot down hundreds of drones that violated restrictions on flights meant to protect the president.

Winograd also warned that commercially available drones could “be used by hostile foreign intelligence agencies or criminals to gather intelligence, spy, steal secret technology and intellectual property, and carry out cyberattacks on wireless networks.” would have dire consequences for Secret facilities, defense industry organizations, and technology companies in the United States.

Another problem was the emergence of a large number of Chinese-made drones in the no-fly zones in Washington. Over the past 45 days, drones have carried out more than 100 “raids” into restricted areas, according to the government.

According to the publication, the US Senate is pushing a bipartisan bill that calls for expanding the powers of security services to detect drones that pose a potential security threat. The initiative also includes the creation of a database containing information on drone accidents in the US.

Source: RT

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