Drone security
Stuart Guthrie-Cadge, KOREC Group
FOR many years now drones have been used by surveyors, security forces, photographers, filmmakers and hobbyists alike for the rapid and easy collection of vast amounts of data and imagery. But recent security fears in both the US and UK, including accusations of ‘spy drones’ has led to a ban on certain drone manufacturers in the US – and some concerning warnings from the UK government, too.
Blacklisted
Recent security fears in both the US and UK, including accusations of ‘spy drones’ has led to a ban on certain drone manufacturers in the US – and some concerning warnings from the UK government, too.
In October of 2022, the US government blacklisted drone manufacturer DJI, due to alleged ties to the Chinese military. This followed an earlier ban of the drones by the Pentagon in 2020. The Chinese company – which is one of the largest drone firms in the world – has been accused of utilising its drones as surveillance of Uyghur Muslim detention camps within China.
Over here in the UK, cybersecurity experts have been warning about the risks of Chinese-made drones for more than three years. As reported back in 2020, French & American researchers found evidence that the Android app used to fly DJI drones was collecting additional information from the phone – information that wasn’t required to fly the drone.
While there was no evidence that information had been collected and sent back to Beijing, the company had created ‘an effective targeting system’, capable of identifying users and sending them malicious updates – according to one of the researchers. Other ‘industry experts’ have claimed that DJI drones have taken imagery unbeknownst to the user – imagery that could then theoretically be uploaded to the Chinese company’s servers.
Perhaps even more concerning, any company within China is obligated to hand information over to Beijing if requested – leading security experts to recommend that any devices that collect information should be avoided by people conducting sensitive work.
Security risk
A Defending Democracy Taskforce has been established to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference. A possible halt on procurement of Chinese drones is said to be on the table. The potential scale of the problem is not small either – a recent Freedom of Information request has revealed that over two-thirds of the drones used by UK police forces are the Chinese-made DJI drones.
This has led to senior figures in the UK Government, including the Home Secretary and the Home Office appointed ‘surveillance commissioner’, to voice their concerns about the use of Chinese technology within the UK security sector. So much so, that a Defending Democracy Taskforce has been established (headed by Security Minister Tom Tugendhat) to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference.
A possible halt on procurement of Chinese drones is said to be on the table.
Drones of the free world
The company has said in its defence that it is not ‘in the data collection business and the security features were to give users peace of mind’, however, we’ll await the outcome of the taskforce’s findings. It may be that the UK will follow in the footsteps of the US in banning DJI outright. The decision will certainly be met with interest.
With our ever-increasing reliance on digital technology, including of course artificial intelligence, comes the constant risk of threats from foreign agents and there is the potential for very real harm to governments and individuals alike. Perhaps it is through the use of European-regulated drone suppliers that there is an assurance that a done investment is only collecting the data that it is told to – and nothing more.
In the meantime, there are drones out there that are considered safe to be heavily invested. NASA, the FBI, the US Army and the British Army have invested in drones, such as the US-made Parrot, Swiss-based Wingtra or AgEagle drone.
KOREC has relationships with each of these companies but most importantly all three fall under the EU’s GDPR regulations meaning all sensitive data, such as flight location and flight date, are protected by these stringent regulations.
With our ever-increasing reliance on digital technology, including of course artificial intelligence, comes the constant risk of threats from foreign agents and there is the potential for very real harm to governments and individuals alike.
Perhaps it is through the use of European-regulated drone suppliers that there is an assurance that a done investment is only collecting the data that it is told to – and nothing more.
Stuart Guthrie-Cadge, KOREC Group