Interior Department grounds Chinese drones amid fears of spying

Published November 1, 2019 8:53pm ET



The U.S. Interior Department has grounded a fleet of Chinese-made drones amid concerns that the unmanned aerial vehicles might be compromised by Chinese spies.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt grounded the roughly 800 Chinese-made drones pending a security review. The review follows a multiagency warning about the danger of purchasing sensitive technology from Chinese companies. American officials worry that the companies are beholden to the communist government’s intelligence agencies at a time when President Trump and lawmakers in both parties agree that Beijing has launched a major strategic competition with the United States.

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