Pricey Director Easterly and Principal Deputy Beneath Secretary Passarelli:
We write to request that you simply declassify sure data regarding potential nationwide safety dangers posed by unmanned plane techniques (UAS or “drones”) which were produced, manufactured, or assembled within the Individuals’s Republic of China (PRC), together with these made by Da Jiang Improvements (DJI) or Autel Robotics (Autel). It has come to our consideration that there are findings from Sandia Nationwide Laboratories (SNL) pertaining to nationwide safety dangers related to drones which were produced, manufactured, or assembled within the PRC.
Moreover, on January 17, 2024, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a joint advisory elevating consciousness of the numerous dangers posed by PRC-made drones to our nation’s vital infrastructure and U.S. nationwide safety. Alarmingly, the advisory states that, “”using Chinese language-manufactured UAS in vital infrastructure operations dangers exposing delicate data to PRC authorities, jeopardizing U.S. nationwide safety, financial safety, and public well being and security.” The findings of CISA’s and the FBI’s evaluation had been apparently regarding sufficient to warrant the publication and dissemination of this advisory to state, native, tribal, and territorial companions.
It’s our understanding that the SNL’s evaluation doesn’t implicate any delicate intelligence sources or strategies that may in any other case warning in opposition to declassification. In any case, there are specific procedures in place for declassifying data—whereas safeguarding delicate intelligence sources and strategies—when retaining data categorised is outweighed by the general public curiosity,4 as is the case right here. We due to this fact ask that the related Government Department departments or businesses, together with CISA and the Division of Power (DOE), declassify these and all associated findings instantly in order that lawmakers and the American public can totally perceive the threats posed by drones which were produced, manufactured, or assembled within the PRC, together with these made by DJI and Autel.
DJI and Autel are UAS know-how firms headquartered in Shenzhen, China, that management practically 90 p.c of the worldwide UAS market. DJI drones, particularly, are well-known for his or her high quality, affordability, and superior options, making them a well-liked selection for American hobbyists, companies, in addition to State, native, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) legislation enforcement businesses. In recent times, DJI has acquired essentially the most consideration from Congress given the corporate’s dominant market share. Nonetheless, Autel’s rising footprint in the US is equally alarming.
DJI and Autel’s business relationship with 1000’s of SLTT legislation enforcement businesses in the US provides a layer of complexity to this challenge. The widespread adoption of PRC drones by SLTT legislation enforcement businesses might inadvertently expose them to cybersecurity dangers that aren’t effectively understood, whereas concurrently undermining our nationwide safety. A number of federal businesses have warned in opposition to or banned the procurement of sure UAS originating within the PRC, because of the dangers they pose.7 Nonetheless, the small print of those UAS threats stay categorised.
For instance, in August 2017, Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) —the investigative part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—issued an alert warning that DJI drones are “[l]ikely offering U.S. vital infrastructure and legislation enforcement knowledge to [the] Chinese language authorities.” This bulletin “assesse[d] with excessive confidence [DJI] is selectively concentrating on authorities and privately owned entities inside [infrastructure and law Cong. R. Serv. (IFI2183), Procedures for Declassifying Intelligence of Public Interest (August 10, 2023), enforcement sectors] to increase its skill to gather and exploit delicate U.S. knowledge.” Additional, the bulletin warned that DJI-established functions, when used with their UAS {hardware}, acquire GPS places and images taken by the gadget, register facial recognition knowledge even when
the system is off, and add data to cloud storage positioned in Taiwan and Hong Kong, to
which our foremost adversary, the Chinese language Communist Get together, nearly definitely has entry.10 The
bulletin additional states {that a} “overseas authorities with entry to this data might simply
coordinate bodily or cyber assaults in opposition to vital websites.”
Concurrently, in August 2017, the Division of the Military launched a memorandum ordering a grounding on using DJI functions and merchandise, citing an “elevated consciousness of cyber vulnerabilities related to DJI merchandise.”12 The next yr, in Might 2018, the Division of Protection (DoD) halted all procurement of commercial-off-the-shelf drones.
Might 2019, CISA issued an equivalent warning that Chinese language-made drones pose a “potential threat of
a corporation’s data.”14 Additional, in January 2020, following a overview of its drone fleet,
the Inside Division briefly retired non-emergency drones. In keeping with then Secretary of the Inside Bernhardt’s order, “data collected throughout UAS missions has the potential to be useful to overseas entities, organizations, and governments.”
In December 2020, the Division of Commerce added DJI to its Entity Checklist, which prohibits U.S.-based companies from exporting know-how to firms designated as a nationwide safety concern. In July 2021, DoD reiterated its place Da Jiang Improvements pose potential threats to nationwide safety.”18 Later, in December 2021, the Treasury Division added DJI to its Chinese language-Navy Industrial Advanced record over experiences that its UAS are utilized by Xinjiang Public Sector Bureau to surveil China’s Uyghur Muslim
inhabitants.
In mild of those important points, there’s a robust public curiosity in understanding the threats posed by PRC-manufactured drones. As a number of federal businesses and departments have taken appreciable motion based mostly on categorised data, it’s effectively previous time that Congress, SLTT legislation enforcement businesses, and the American public obtain solutions to questions regarding PRC drones which have remained excellent for a number of years.
Moreover, we request that CISA and DOE present Committee workers with a briefing
about this request no later than July 2, 2024.
Thanks to your consideration to this necessary matter.
Sincerely,
Mark E. Inexperienced, MD
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Chairman Chair
Committee on Homeland Safety Committee on Power and Commerce
