Australian Border Enforcement (ABF) has decided to stop using Chinese-made drones out of an abundance of caution.
In April, the federal government ordered a safety review of hundreds of drones made by a Chinese company, Da Jiang Innovations (DJI), after it was discovered that Australia’s Department of Defense was using them.
Michael Outram, the ABF commissioner, told the Senate hearing that its operational sensitivity was “much lower” than that of the Department of Defense, and he felt there were adequate regulations in place to oversee the use of the drones, The Australian reported.
“These devices were not allowed to be connected to our network in any way. They were being used in very low-risk environments, for example, in relation to tobacco crops,” he told senate estimates….