Ontario to ban use of Chinese-made drones for ‘highly sensitive’ police operations

Adrian Ghobrial reports on the decision by the Ontario government to phase out Chinese-made drones from law enforcement use due to security concerns.

The Ontario government says it will ban the use of Chinese-made drones for “highly sensitive” policing operations amid concerns about data security.

In a news release issued on Wednesday, the government said the ban will go into effect immediately upon being approved and will apply to Ontario Provincial Police operations that are defined as “highly sensitive.”

At the same time, the government says that it will move forward with a broader plan to phase out its use of Chinese-made drones entirely.

“Now more than ever, it is critical that we are protecting our province’s data and safeguarding our security against bad actors,” Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Stephen Crawford said in the release. “Banning government use and future purchases of Chinese-made drones is another important step in our plan to protect Ontario and better leverage Canada’s world-class drone manufacturing sector.”

The release notes that under Chinese law, companies incorporated in the country “may be required to disclose data, even if that data is stored outside the country.”

It says that the policy, in turn, “raises security concerns about Chinese-made drones, which could possibly access or store sensitive information.”

The government says that in order to address those risks, it needs to ban the future procurement of Chinese-made drones while beginning top phase out drones that are currently in use “without interrupting or compromising any critical frontline service work.”

“Police services across Ontario rely on drones to support critical operations and protect public safety, but we cannot ignore growing security and privacy concerns tied to foreign-made technology,” Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said in the press release.

The government says that a number of other government organizations haver already taken steps to ban Chinese-made drones, including the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.