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    China’s Agricultural Drones: A Quiet National Security Vulnerability In 2024, Emilian Kavalski and Claris Diaz highlighted in “Beyond TikTok – The National Security Risks of Chinese Agricultural Drones” that the U.S. national security discourse concerning foreign technologies had grown overly preoccupied with social media platforms, thereby diminishing focus on other critical foreign innovations, particularly those within the agricultural sector. Two years later, we revisit their perspectives.Image: MB-one via Wikimedia CommonsIn your 2024 article, you contended that TikTok’s data collection risks were exaggerated and that an excessive emphasis on them diverted attention from more significant Chinese technological threats, such as agricultural drones. Two years on and amid multiple TikTok ban cycles, has your stance evolved? Have security professionals redirected their attention to other concerns, or does media and social media still prevail in the discourse? Security professionals have notably increased their attention to supply chains, data infrastructure, unmanned systems, and dual-use technologies since the original article was written. However, public discourse continues to be drawn to social media due to its familiarity, emotional resonance, and ease of framing as a consumer privacy issue. Agricultural drones, conversely, operate quietly, functioning far from Washington and Silicon Valley, yet they collect data on land use, crop health, chemical inputs, yields, and production vulnerabilities. The original argument was not that TikTok lacked security concerns, but that the U.S. debate had become overly focused on a single platform and category of data. TikTok evolved into a political symbol, while less visible technologies integrated into critical sectors garnered significantly less public attention. The crucial question is not whether a single app poses a threat, but whether the United States possesses a coherent framework for evaluating foreign technologies embedded in critical systems. In this regard, the TikTok debate proved beneficial but incomplete. It revealed the issue of data dependency without fully addressing the more profound concern: strategic dependence on technologies that shape the management of critical

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    Thursday, June 18, 2026
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    Legislation to Prevent Unauthorized AI Deepfakes Clears Key Senate Committee

    Entertainment
    Legislation to Prevent Unauthorized AI Deepfakes Clears Key Senate Committee

    A bill targeting the proliferation of unauthorized AI-generated deepfakes has advanced past the Senate Judiciary Committee, marking significant progress for a top entertainment industry priority this year.

    The legislation passed the committee unanimously by voice vote on Thursday, though three Republican senators—Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, and Eric Schmitt—raised First Amendment concerns.

    The bill aims to address the surge of unauthorized deepfakes, following testimonies from performers on Capitol Hill regarding misuse of their voice and likeness.

    It would grant individuals the right to authorize the use of their voice and likeness in digital replication. This digital replication right extends posthumously, transferable by heirs and executors, though it terminates no later than 70 years after an individual’s death.

    The bill excludes applications in news, documentaries, sports, biographical works, and for purposes of commentary, criticism, or parody.

    It has broad backing from entertainment guilds, studios, record labels, and tech companies including OpenAI and Google/YouTube. A revised version introduced last month includes procedures for challenging content removals and exemptions for libraries, archives, and research institutions.

    Mitch Glazier, CEO of the RIAA, stated, “We are encouraged by today’s passage in the Senate Judiciary Committee and look forward to the bill’s passage into law later this year.”

    Sen. Cruz emphasized protecting satire, citing a recent example involving Spencer Pratt’s AI-generated campaign ads during Los Angeles’ mayoral race. He argued such content “were hysterical” and should remain protected under the legislation.

    Companion bills were introduced in the House. Sponsors include Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL), Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who warned that rapid AI advances have enabled exploitation of personal likenesses without consent.

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