Drones

U.S. may call a halt to its civilian drone program over security fears

The U.S. Department of Interior (DoI) is set to permanently ground its fleet of around 1,000 drones because of fears over security, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

The remotely controlled quadcopters were taken out of service in October 2019 pending a thorough review of the civilian drone program amid concerns that the Chinese-made machines could be used to send sensitive data back to China.

But sources close to the review have told the FT that the department is expected to take them out of service for good after officials warned that the Chinese government has the ability to access the drones’ data, which includes images and location information.

It’s not clear when David Bernhardt, the secretary of the interior, will make an announcement regarding the review, but the sources’ revelations suggest it could be coming soon.