As the Senate prepares to take up tough legislation against China, Pentagon-designated “Chinese military companies” are working overtime to block legislation aimed at protecting U.S. data from falling into Beijing's hands.

Da Jiang Innovations (DJI), a Chinese drone manufacturer, Lead Sponsor The Drone Advocacy Alliance (DAA) August recessThe House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bill, calling on drone users to contact their representatives and voice their opposition to the Chinese Communist Party's Anti-Drone Act. Passed The bill was passed on Monday and now heads to the Senate for further consideration. (Related: Chinese military companies have spent more than $24 million lobbying the U.S. government in recent years)

The Department of Defense Flagged DJI is a “Chinese military company” meaning DJI claims the company is “directly or indirectly owned, controlled, or beneficially owned by the Chinese military” or is a “military-civil integration contributor to China's defense industrial base.” DJI's influence operations have put considerable pressure on Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. sponsor His office shared a draft of the Senate version of the bill with the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Senator Scott has heard from dozens of constituents who are concerned that DJI and its lobbyists are spreading lies in an attempt to undermine this good law,” a spokesperson for Senator Scott told DCNF. “Drones made by companies in hostile countries, like Communist China's DJI, are not permitted in the U.S. government or military because they pose serious national security risks. For the safety of American families, we should not allow them to spy on our citizens.”

If the CCP drone countermeasure bill passes the Senate and is signed into law by President Joe Biden, Prohibited DJI drones will no longer be able to operate on U.S. communications infrastructure, making radio-controlled drones non-functional. According to To Commercial UAV News.

Scott's office told DCNF that a vote on the Senate anti-China drone bill has not yet been scheduled.

The Treasury and Commerce departments imposed sanctions on DJI for supplying surveillance drones that are being used by the Chinese government to spy on Uighur Muslims in the country's western region, The New York Times reported. ReportedSecretary of State Mike Pompeo in January 2021 Decided The feeling that China's oppression of the Uighurs amounts to genocide Repeated It will be launched in 2022 by his successor, Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Independent researchers have also found that the apps used to control DJI drones are collecting large amounts of personal data that could be accessed by the Chinese government. According to To the New York Times.

“DJI, a drone company controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, sponsors and uses the Drone Advocacy Coalition to promote its drones as critical life-saving tools that pose no risk to U.S. national security,” Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., chairman of the Select Committee on China Communist Party, told DCNF. “Yet the opposite is true: DJI is directly facilitating genocidal crimes, supplying weapons to the Chinese military, and advancing the strategic goals of a Chinese Communist Party adversary that threatens U.S. national security.”

One of the bill's lead sponsors in the House, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, argues that DJI, one of the world's most popular drone manufacturers, is already providing information about U.S. “critical infrastructure” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“Chinese Communist Party-controlled DJI, through its CCP-bought advocacy groups, is desperately trying to build opposition to my 'Counter China Communist Party Drones Act,'” Stefanik told DCNF. “Using the same tactics as TikTok, DJI is trying to mobilize American voters to oppose legislation that is crucial to our economy and national security.”

DJI Conflict The company maintains that the accusations are not a threat to data security and characterizes the attacks against it as “xenophobic.” The world's leading drone manufacturer has called on its vast customer base to support the DAA effort via its blog.

“Before we return for session on September 9, it is important to ensure that your voice is heard and your perspective is taken into consideration,” DJI said. said “If possible, get people to fly a drone and see for themselves how important these products are and how safe they are to use. We encourage you to visit the Drone Advocacy Alliance to learn how you can make your voice heard,” said a July blog post.

DJI and the DAA did not respond to DCNF's requests for comment.

Vic Moss and Chris Fink, two drone users who manage the DAA, Revealed Moss told The New York Times in April that DJI funds their activities. “DJI has no say in what we do as a board,” he told DCNF about DAA's leadership.

Daa Encourage Advocates are meeting with members of Congress to ask them to explain why Chinese drones are important to them. web page The bill would provide individuals with phone numbers for both senators' offices and a script to call and express dissatisfaction with the bill.

“My name is [NAME]I live [CITY OR ZIP CODE]”…I urge you to vote NO on S. 4792, the Anti-Chinese Communist Party Drone Bill,” the message read, instructing callers to explain why they oppose the bill.

“This bill would block major drone manufacturers from bringing new products to the U.S. market and potentially deny people access to drones they already own and use for public safety, business, research and recreation,” the transcript continues. The call also includes warning that a drone ban would harm small businesses and cost American jobs.

DAA is Tried It recruits farmers, agricultural workers, business owners, hobbyists, and public safety figures to pressure lawmakers to abandon anti-Chinese Communist Party drone legislation. After entering their information into DAA’s lawmaker contact template, individuals are asked if they want to be contacted by the group with “regular call-to-action text messages.”

Several drone vendors Participated The DAA coalition, according to its website, is selling drones from a local drone shop in Pittsburgh. Steel City Drone To Drone Service Provider Alliance (DSPA) is an interest group that works on behalf of people who use drones for work.

Steel City Drones told the DCNF that the proposed Congressional ban on DJI products is “wrong for the United States.[ed] “It's inappropriate to ban DJI for the “wrong reasons,” given the lack of comparable drones on the U.S. market. Moss, who also runs DSPA, argued that there is little evidence that DJI has worked with the Chinese military, that concerns about DJI drones are merely speculation, and that banning the company's products would harm U.S. business owners.”

“First, over 70% of drone service providers (DSPs) would go out of business if DJI was no longer available when they needed to replace their drones,” Moss said. “The majority of DSPs operate using DJI's Mavic, Air and Inspire drones… If Scott and Stefanik have their way in Congress, these companies will not be able to acquire new equipment.”

Moss also said the ban would cost American lives as fire and police departments struggle to replace their drone fleets, highlighting DJI's importance to emergency responders.

“It really breaks my heart to see my own party taking aim at my livelihood with no thought for the inevitable consequences,” Moss, who identifies as a conservative, told DCNF. “How can politicians be so blind to reality? They won't listen to those of us who make a living flying drones. There is a better way.”

Ukrainian troops train to operate DJI Mavic 3 quadcopter drones in a village 60 km from the front line (Photo: Viktor Fridshon/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

The DAA web campaign also offers interested individuals pre-created X posts to express their views in opposition to the bill.

“The Senate is considering a bill to combat the CCP's drones that will close thousands of small businesses and cost thousands of American jobs. There is no replacement for the performance and reliability of these drones. NO OPPOSE THIS BILL! #NoDroneBan,” the X template reads.

There have been dozens of posts so far. Made X's “NoDroneBan” tag.

The DAA has come under fire from lawmakers, with Moulenaar and Stefanik denounced the organization in May. letter The Chinese government has filed charges with the Justice Department, describing DJI as a company “controlled by the Chinese Communist Party” and alleging that the company may have acted as an unregistered foreign agent by participating in political campaigns on its behalf.

As an independent, nonpartisan news service, all content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher with a large readership. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and affiliation with the DCNF. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.