Teledyne FLIR poll finds data leak risks a significant yet middling factor in drone-buying decisions

In spite of the rash of largely protectionist blacklisting initiatives in the US justified by nominal data piracy motives, a new survey commissioned by drone and onboard tech specialist Teledyne FLIR indicates information leak risks remain a middling UAV purchasing criterion for US enterprise and public administrations operators.

Teledyne FLIR polled 733 professional drone users whose work involves some degree of public safety activity in the US. It showed 69% of respondents describing themselves as “somewhat to extremely concerned” about their UAV-collected data becoming “accessible to foreign governments or other entities that might be considered hostile.” Yet while that ranks the issue as a factor among a large majority of poll participants, it scored considerably lower overall than pragmatic factors like ease of use and affordability in defining purchasing decisions.

Indeed, with most US businesses and public administrations dealing…