US Senators Probe Drone Use in Construction

Lawmakers are inquiring about construction companies about the usage of DJI drones at government locations due to a perceived threat to national security.

The two senators of the United States have requested the large construction firms to release the information about their implementation of Chinese-made DJI drones on the government projects and at the high-security locations on the ground. Letters to Hensel Phelps, Brasfield and Gorrie and Bechtel Corporation on their relations with DJI have been sent by the Democratic Senators Maggie Hassan and Gary Peters.

The senators cautioned that the application of DJI drones by construction contractors would leave an avenue through which sensitive information could be directed to the Chinese government. The letters reported that the United States policy strictly forbids the utilization of the Chinese-made drones by federal agencies and federal contractors because of the security concerns.

DJI countered this by saying that its products have been examined by various government bodies and independent auditors and that they were found to be safe. According to Hensel Phelps, it has an effective data protection mechanism that keeps the drone's data in secure systems. Brasfield & Gorrie and Bechtel did not at once reply.

The applications of the drones in the construction industry include surveying, inspection, and documentation of progress. It has, however, raised even greater scrutiny when a government watchdog discovered numerous instances of contractors using banned DJI drones, even at a port of entry in Arizona.

DJI holds over fifty percent of the commercial drone market in the U.S. and is also on the Defense Department of the U.S. list of companies that have ties to the Chinese military. The companies have been requested by the senators to disclose the count of DJI drones possessed, the waivers obtained, and the way drone details are taken care of as the federal control over the way the drones are constructed becomes tighter.