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Alcott Wei

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.
This is not the first time the ministry has made such cases public. In February, the department announced eight cases involving unauthorised drone flights.
Local governments have also warned about illegal drone flights and made cases public.


On Monday, state news agency Xinhua warned that unauthorised drones flying into military-controlled zones and other banned areas could leak state secrets.
“Drones with unrestricted altitude could intrude into civil aviation routes, easily causing collisions and serious consequences,” it added.
In October, China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, revised the Public Security Administration Punishments Law. It listed the illegal use of drones as a danger to public safety, with serious cases subject to detention or even criminal prosecution.
Under Chinese regulations, small civilian drones must stay within government-designated areas and fly no higher than 120 metres (394 feet) above ground level unless they have special approval.
In many major Chinese cities, drone flights in urban airspace require strict approval.
Beijing currently has the strictest regulations on civilian drones. Starting this month, the municipality has banned the importation of drones, as well as the sale of devices and core components within the capital city without public security approval, citing “low-altitude security” concerns.
In March, state broadcaster CCTV reported that China was incorporating high-power microwave (HPM) counter-drone systems into urban policing to address risks to public safety.


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Beijing says suspects helped others bypass flight restrictions, posing risks to national security


Beijing says suspects helped others bypass flight restrictions, posing risks to national security.


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

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Beijing says suspects helped others bypass flight restrictions, posing risks to national security

Beijing says suspects helped others bypass flight restrictions, posing risks to national security