The world's leading manufacturer of commercial unmanned aerial vehicles, DJI, claimed on Thursday that the United States Department of Interior has grounded Chinese unmanned aircraft in the country, except for emergency drones.
According to Reuters, DJI was "disappointed to learn of this development".
The Chinese company is a global monopoly in the drone industry, controlling a 74% share of the world market in 2018. French, Dutch, German, and UK military and police units widely use DJI's products for observation and inspection purposes.
Washington, however, has raised concerns about the issue, claiming that sensitive information obtained by the aircraft could be delivered to third parties. In July 2019, the US Department of the Interior publicly refused to use DJI drones, stating that they "did not meet UAS [unmanned aerial systems] data management assurance standards", but later had to use the Chinese products.