Do you remember the German-made police cars most American cities used in 1943? If no, perhaps you recall the Viet Cong walkie talkies the FBI used in 1969? Still drawing a blank? As indeed you should because it would make no sense in a time of conflict with those forces to utilize their resources in any kind of security function.
But that’s just what 43 American law enforcement agencies in 22 states are doing. They are using drones made by the Chinese firm Da Jiang Innovations (DJI) to spy on U.S. citizens and enforce pandemic restrictions. In New Jersey, these drones are being used in lieu of police cars. Think the Chinese may be able to access some of the data the drones collect? Oh, no. The Chinese never would have thought of that. Perish the very thought!
Well, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, is calling for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to ban the Chinese drones. He spoke on the subject on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” saying, “China is massively expanding a Trojan horse spying operation in our country and your local police department may be unknowingly helping them. The United States Army, the Department of Interior, they’ve banned their use of these DJI drones, citing vulnerability and potential value for other countries.”
Congressman Gaetz continued: “The Department of Homeland Security wrote a scathing report that said that China specifically goes after local law enforcement. They did so even before the coronavirus so that they can get key information transmitted to the Chinese government. And then our own Department of Homeland Security wrote that this is precisely the type of information we’re worried that China might sell to terrorists.”
Gaetz concluded: “The information that’s being collected makes our nation more vulnerable and I believe the attorney general, under the existing authorities he has, under these cybersecurity laws, should immediately ground the entire fleet of DJI drones used by U.S. law enforcement. We should not be spied on by our own government and giving the information then to a foreign government that’s hostile.”
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