Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s police rely on Chinese drones – criticism!

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s police rely on Chinese drones – criticism!

There are new developments surrounding the use of drones by the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Police. The police are currently in possession of over 17 drones from the Chinese manufacturer DJI n-tv reported. These aerial devices are primarily used for crime scene recordings, during major events and at sporting events.

But the use of this modern technology is not viewed favorably by all sides. Constanze Oehlrich, the leader of the Green Party in the state parliament, expresses clear concerns. She sees the DJI drones as a potential security risk and warns of possible data leaks to China. Oehlrich calls for the use of such drones to be abandoned in sensitive areas and emphasizes the need to review procurement law so that security risks caused by supposedly cheap offers are excluded.

Data security in focus

However, DJI itself gives the all-clear and rejects the allegations. The manufacturer emphasizes that users have control over their data. The drones can be operated offline, which prevents automatic data transmission without the user's consent. In addition, communication between the drone and pilot is not carried out via public networks, according to the Schwerin Ministry of the Interior.

What's interesting is that DJI drones are capable of creating flight logs, which log information such as trajectory, altitude and heading. Photos and videos are saved to either internal storage or an SD card and archived in the DJI app. Here too, the company makes it clear that no automatic transfers to third parties take place. Users decide for themselves whether they want to share their data, which is particularly important for sensitive operations such as the inspection of critical infrastructure. Data security recommendations include keeping drones offline and using local data modes that prevent data transfers.

• Offline-Betrieb zur Gewährleistung des Datenschutzes
• Nutzung des lokalen Datenmodus
• Verwendung von DJI Pilot PE und Flight Hub Enterprise Edition für Geschäftskunden
• Entwicklung eigener Software mit dem DJI SDK
• Aktivierung der Government Edition für höchste Datensicherheitsanforderungen

Additionally, DJI offers a bug bounty program to identify and resolve security issues. To learn more about DJI's data security measures and policies, a comprehensive white paper is available.

Political reactions

The discussion is fueled by a hacker attack on the state police of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which Oehlrich believes may have come from China. These concerns contribute to the policy debate about the use of drones in the public sector, particularly in security-related areas.

The future of drone use by the police could depend not only on the technology, but also on the political framework. It remains to be seen whether the Greens' criticism will have consequences in the state parliament.