FBI and DHS confirm they are buying Chinese drones despite security concerns

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are purchasing and using Chinese-made drones from a company with close links to the Chinese government, according to testimony from Biden administration officials.

The confirmation about the purchases came the same day that the House approved the National Defense Authorization Act, which did not include a ban on U.S. government agencies from using Chinese drones. The United States considers Chinese government-backed Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Technologies, which commonly goes by DJI, to be a “Chinese Military Industrial Complex” company.

Brad Wiegmann, the deputy assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday that the FBI is buying and making use of drones from DJI. Samantha Vinograd, DHS’s acting assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention and law enforcement policy, was cagier in her responses before the Senate but also confirmed her department was buying and using foreign drones in limited circumstances.
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