China arrests 16 in drone hacking cases, vowing ‘clean skies’ crackdown

Chinese police have announced the arrests of 16 people suspected of hacking drone systems and vowed a nationwide crackdown on illegal drone use.

China’s Ministry of Public Security released details on 10 cases on Monday to warn the public about illegal drone use. The suspects were arrested between January and March.

It came as part of a nationwide “Clean Skies” campaign launched by the ministry in December to combat the illegal use of drones.

The ministry said that in these cases, suspects used technical means to help others bypass restrictions on drone altitude and no-fly zones.

The ministry accused the suspects of profiting illegally from these activities, disrupting airspace order and posing risks to public and national security.

Of the 10 cases, the biggest took place in Shanghai and involved over 100 drones, while the smallest involved just 10.

According to the ministry, Shanghai police found that the suspect in the biggest case – a 40-year-old man surnamed Li – had been developing software to bypass drone restrictions since 2022 and was marketing it through e-commerce platforms.

South China Morning Post