The US Department of Interior has grounded its drone fleet to review whether Chinese-manufactured technology poses a national security threat.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt ordered the review on Wednesday, citing national security risks from Chinese manufacturers, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.
"Until this review is completed, the Secretary has directed that drones manufactured in China or made from Chinese components be grounded unless they are currently being utilized for emergency purposes, such as fighting wildfires, search and rescue, and dealing with natural disasters that may threaten life or property," a department spokesperson told PCMag in a statement.
The department currently has a fleet of 810 drones, which have been used to help agency employees across the country monitor federal lands; 786 are Chinese-made. Of those, 121 come from DJI, the leading provider of consumer drones.
The remaining 24 drones were built in the US, but have been assembled with Chinese-made components, meaning they'll be grounded as well.
The department is conducting the review as US officials have been growing concerned that Chinese-made technology is untrustworthy. They point to how Chinese law theoretically empowers the country's government to compel local technology companies to hand over any data they have on their customers.
In May, the Department of Homeland Security issued an industry alert over the potential spying risks. "Manufacturers and vendors can build in malware or collect data from your UAS (unmanned aircraft system) device without your knowledge," the alert claimed. Last month, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers also introduced a bill to prohibit the US federal government from buying drones manufactured in countries identified as national security threats, such as China and Iran.
DJI denies that its technology poses a threat; for government customers, the company's drones can be customized to never transfer any data to DJI's servers or the internet, DJI has previously said.
On Thursday, DJI told PCMag it was "disappointed to learn" of the Interior Department's security review. "As the leader in commercial drone technology, we have worked with the Department of Interior to create a safe and secure drone solution that meets their rigorous requirements, which was developed over the course of 15 months with DOI officials, independent cybersecurity professionals, and experts at NASA," the company said.
"We will continue to support the Department of Interior and provide assistance as it reviews its drone fleet so the agency can quickly resume the use of drones to help federal workers conduct vital operations," DJI added.