In a blatant act of defiance against the U.S. investment blacklist and bans in four states, Maryland law enforcement agencies persist in utilizing Chinese drones from DJI, a technology company embroiled in controversy over allegations of surveilling Uyghur residents and data privacy concerns.
What Happened: Maryland’s preference for DJI drones stems from their apparent technological superiority over domestic alternatives.
Senior deputy Michael Wilsinski said, “There are drones that are made here in the United States, but they do not come up, in our opinion, to the level that the DJI drones that we are using come to.”
However, the decision has sparked a fierce debate, pitting technological advantages against ethical considerations, as allegations of data privacy breaches and surveillance involvement in human rights abuses loom large, reported Business Insider.
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In December 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted DJI, along with several other Chinese companies. Although DJI’s company’s representative, Adam Welsh, has assured that they have never provided the U.S. data to the Chinese government, the report noted.
Allegations of DJI supplying drones to Xinjiang police for surveilling Uyghur residents amid severe human rights abuses pose a moral dilemma for Maryland authorities.
The UN report labeling the situation as potentially constituting crimes against humanity adds to the gravity of the decision.
Why It’s Important: The news about Maryland Police’s controversial use of Chinese drones comes at a time when ByteDance-owned TikTok, a China-based short-video platform, has been facing significant pushback in the country.
This pushback is primarily due to concerns over data privacy and China’s potential access to the sensitive personal information of U.S. citizens.
This resulted in Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana signing a bill in May that prohibits TikTok from operating within the state’s territorial jurisdiction starting Jan. 1, 2024.
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