July 5, 2023
More than 3000 drones and other devices manufactured by Chinese company DJI are owned by federal government agencies, despite the People’s Liberation Army-linked technology being black-listed in the US.
A government-wide audit by opposition cyber security spokesman James Paterson has revealed 3114 drones, cameras and other DJI-manufactured devices were in the possession of agencies ranging from the National Portrait Gallery of Australia to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Some devices are batteries and gimbals – camera stabilisers that do not connect to the internet – but most are cameras and drones with internet connectivity.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation has at least 1668 devices, of which 86 are drones used to gather data and images of agricultural sites and wildlife monitoring.
The organisation is reviewing its use of the technology and has stopped connecting them to CSIRO internet systems.
Defence has uncovered 800 DJI drones across its operations, far more than the 450 that were known to have been acquired by the army.
The drones, which were grounded in May because of security concerns, were also being used by the navy, air force, Defence Science and Technology Group and cadets.
Discovery of the widespread use of DJI technology comes after more than 1000 CCTV cameras and other surveillance devices from Chinese firms Hikvision and Dahua were removed from government premises, including electorate offices and Defence sites.
Senator Paterson said the widespread use of the DJI devices demonstrated the need for Australia to follow the example of Britain and introduce a new office within the Department of Home Affairs to assess risks posed by technology originating from “authoritarian countries.’’
“(It) should map and remove problematic technology embedded in government systems, while also assessing emerging technologies before they are deployed to ensure appropriate mitigations are in place,’’ he said.
In June, Britain established a national security unit for procurement to investigate potential suppliers and assess whether they should be allowed to bid for government contracts.
While Chinese technology has been embedded in government agencies for decades, including during the Coalition government’s time in office, the issue has taken on renewed urgency because of heightened geopolitical tensions, and cyber becoming a frontline weapon of war.
Australia’s Five Eyes intelligence partners, particularly the US, have begun cracking down hard on Chinese tech.
“The Albanese government should act now before it’s too late to mitigate the risk of products being weaponised to conduct cyber disruptions, surveillance and large-scale foreign interference,’’ Senator Paterson said.
He said the government was playing “whack-a-mole’’ with Chinese tech and quietly removing technology from agencies only after public outcry.
Cyber Security Minister Clare O’Neil’s office declined to comment.
A CSIRO spokesperson said the organisation owned DJI 86 drones, 32 extra drone cameras and a number of accessories such as batteries. “The drones are used for research purposes including data and image capture of agricultural sites and wildlife monitoring,’’ they said.
“We are currently engaging with relevant agencies across government to review the use of these drones to ensure our policies are in line with the latest government advice.
“While that review is under way, we have taken mitigation steps to ensure security is not compromised such as ensuring the drones are never connected to a CSIRO system.’’
Some 38 government agencies have confirmed that they operate DJI equipment, including the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (six devices), Veterans’ Affairs (four devices), Foreign Affairs and Trade (15 devices), and Climate Change and Energy (82 devices).
Many of them are likely to be used by their media units.
It has previously been confirmed that the ABC and SBS used the devices.
The Australian Border Force has stopped using its 420 DJI devices, and the Australian Federal Police said it was “transitioning’’ away from the technology.
The world’ largest drone manufacturer, DJI – also known as Da Jiang Innovations – is headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, and is subject to China’s 2017 national security laws that require all China-based companies to co-operate with Beijing’s intelligence agencies.
The company has been black-listed by the Pentagon for what the Americans say is links to the People’s Liberation Army, and it has clear ownership links back to the Chinese state. There are concerns the devices could be used for data-harvesting, and they are considered a moral risk because the technology is used in surveillance of the persecuted Uighur minority in China.
The Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, can issue a government-wide ban to DJI via an update to Australia’s Protective Security Policy Framework, but so far has acted only against Chinese-owned social media behemoth TikTok, which was banned from installation on all government devices.
Hikvision and Dahua were removed from all agencies without a formal ban.
The Attorney-General’s Department said: “The Australian government continually assesses Australia’s security policy settings to ensure they remain fit for purpose.’’
