U.S. Senate Alarmed By Drones Violating Restricted Airspace Over Washington, D.C.

Politico: Drones over D.C.: Senators alarmed over potential Chinese spy threat  

Lawmakers who were briefed on hundreds of intrusions over the White House, Capitol and Pentagon worry about possible espionage. 

Hundreds of Chinese-manufactured drones have been detected in restricted airspace over Washington, D.C., in recent months, a trend that national security agencies fear could become a new means for foreign espionage. 

The recreational drones made by Chinese company DJI, which are designed with “geofencing” restrictions to keep them out of sensitive locations, are being manipulated by users with simple workarounds to fly over no-go zones around the nation’s capital. 

Federal officials and drone industry experts have delivered classified briefings to the Senate Homeland Security, Commerce and Intelligence committees on the development, three people privy to the meetings said. 

A spokesperson for the Intelligence Committee — which has been kept closely apprised of the counterintelligence risks — declined to comment on the briefings. The other two committees did not respond.  

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WNU Editor: I am not surprised that people want to fly drones around the U.S. capital. But what surprised me about this report is that when you buy a drone it is already designed with “geofencing” restrictions to keep them out of sensitive locations.