Source: Global Times    Published: 2019-5-21

China's largest drone-maker DJI said on Tuesday its customers have full and complete control over how their data is collected, stored and transmitted, in response to US government accusations of the company sending sensitive data to China.

"Safety is at the core of everything we do, and the security of our technology has been independently verified by the US government and leading US businesses," DJI, headquartered in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"In addition, DJI provides a special mode to satisfy different customers' security needs. For example, it supports a local data mode with the internet off, and private cloud deployment," DJI said, noting it gives its customers full and complete control of how data is collected, transmitted and stored.

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Monday that Chinese-made drones may be sending sensitive flight data to their manufacturers in China, where it can be accessed by the government, CNN reported.

The DHS did not name any specific manufacturer, but nearly 80 percent of drones used in the US and Canada come from DJI, the report said.

The US move caused an uproar in China, with many calling it yet another evil move of the US government to attack Chinese hi-tech companies following the Huawei case.

"Similar to the ban on Huawei, the US accusation against Chinese-made drones is groundless; and it will eventually hurt the US' own drone market," Shi Yinhong, director of Renmin University of China's Center for American Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

A 2018 market sector report from industry analyst Skylogic Research said 80 percent of drones operating in the US and Canada and about three-fourths globally are made by DJI, CNN reported.

Faced with constant provocations from the US, Shi warned that China should implement relevant countermeasures based on its own capabilities and national interests.

Shi Yinhong is director of China's Center for American Studies at Renmin University of China.