<p>An MSNBC segment from late last week sparked controversy after it shined a light on a program that some localities across the U.S. are participating in that uses Chinese-made drones to monitor American citizens in an effort to enforce social distancing.</p>
<p>&#8220;The drones make it easier for police to see into certain areas where access by patrol cars is more difficult,&#8221; MSNBC reported. &#8220;That includes tight spaces between buildings, behind schools, and in backyards. Failure to comply could lead to a summons or a thousand dollar fine.&#8221;</p>
<p>On the issue of privacy, Elizabeth Democrat Mayor J. Christian Bollwage says, &#8220;If these drones save one life, it is clearly worth the activity and the information that the drones are sending.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The drones donated by DJI, a Chinese company, have gone to 43 agencies in 22 states, all to help enforce social distancing rules,&#8221; MSNBC continued. &#8220;Authorities say the drones aren’t taking pictures or collecting evidence. It’s a high-tech warning against a deadly virus.&#8221;</p>
<p>WATCH:</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/LizRNC/status/1251158887996116996</p>
<p>The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/technology/dji-china-data-drones.html">reported</a> in 2017 that federal law enforcement officials said that they had “moderate confidence” that DJI drones and software were “providing U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government.”</p>
<p>The Times reported that the Chinese company denied the allegations.</p>
<p>&#8220;The I.C.E. memo focused on the drones used by companies and institutions, not the drones flown by hobbyists in the United States and elsewhere,&#8221; The Times reported. &#8220;D.J.I. dominates the overall drone market, with a nearly two-thirds share in the United States and Canada, according to Skylogic Research, a drone research firm.&#8221;</p>
<p>In January of this year, the Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/technology/interior-chinese-drones.html">reported</a> that the Interior Department had grounded &#8220;its entire fleet of drones out of concerns that Chinese parts in them might be used for spying.&#8221; The Interior Department had been using drones from DJI.</p>
<p>The U.S. Army has also ordered soldiers to stop using the consumer version of the drones, according to <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2017/08/us-army-just-ordered-soldiers-stop-using-drones-chinas-dji/139999/?oref=defense_one_breaking_nl">Defense One</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>The U.S. Army has ordered troops to stop using consumer drones made by Chinese manufacturer DJI, according to an Aug. 2 memo seen by Defense One and confirmed by two Army officials.</p>
<p>“Cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries/storage media from devices, and secure equipment for follow on direction,” reads the memo from Lt. Gen. Joseph H. Anderson, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for plans and operations.</p>
<p>Why? The memo cited “increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) responded to the segment by writing on Twitter: &#8220;Think about this for a second. This virus originated in Communist China and the Chinese Communist Party’s lies helped it spread around the world. Now we’re using drones made by a Chinese company and backed by the CCP to enforce social distancing. This is crazy!&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Think about this for a second. This virus originated in Communist China and the Chinese Communist Party’s lies helped it spread around the world. </p>
<p>Now we’re using drones made by a Chinese company and backed by the CCP to enforce social distancing. This is crazy! <a href="https://t.co/pJDGoviRis">https://t.co/pJDGoviRis</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1251588905348075520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p>A <a href="https://enterprise-insights.dji.com/blog/us-covid-19-relief-program-update">map</a> provided by DJI claimed that the drones were being used by different state and local entities in the following states:</p>
<ul>
<li>Oregon</li>
<li>Washington</li>
<li>California</li>
<li>Texas</li>
<li>Oklahoma</li>
<li>South Dakota</li>
<li>Michigan</li>
<li>Wisconsin</li>
<li>Illinois</li>
<li>Indiana</li>
<li>Louisiana</li>
<li>Mississippi</li>
<li>Alabama</li>
<li>Georgia</li>
<li>Florida</li>
<li>South Carolina</li>
<li>Viriginia</li>
<li>Maryland</li>
<li>New Jersey</li>
<li>New York</li>
</ul>

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‘THIS IS CRAZY!’: Chinese-Made Drones Are Monitoring Streets In 20 States To Enforce Social Distancing. U.S. Officials Are Concerned About Spying.

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‘THIS IS CRAZY!’: Chinese-Made Drones Are Monitoring Streets In 20 States To Enforce Social Distancing. U.S. Officials Are Concerned About Spying.