Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Razer’s BlackShark V3 Pro Are the Best High-End Gaming Headphones

    September 18, 2025

    Nvidia and Intel’s $5 billion deal is apparently about eating AMD’s lunch

    September 18, 2025

    Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Is Bananas for Google Gemini’s AI Image Generator

    September 18, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Chinese National Charged for Taking Drone Photos of Classified US Navy Nuclear Submarines
    Security

    Chinese National Charged for Taking Drone Photos of Classified US Navy Nuclear Submarines

    News RoomBy News RoomJune 3, 20243 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    The United States Department of Justice is quietly prosecuting a novel Espionage Act case involving a drone, a Chinese national, and classified nuclear submarines.

    The case is such a rarity that it appears to be the first known prosecution under a World War II–era law that bans photographing vital military installations using aircraft, showing how new technologies are leading to fresh national security and First Amendment issues.

    “This is definitely not something that the law has addressed to any significant degree,” Emily Berman, a law professor at the University of Houston who specializes in national security, tells WIRED. “There’s definitely no reported cases.”

    On January 5, 2024, Fengyun Shi flew to Virginia while on leave from his graduate studies at the University of Minnesota and rented a Tesla at the airport. His research focused on using AI to detect signs of crop disease in photos. Shi’s subject that week wasn’t plants, however, but allegedly the local shipyards—the only ones manufacturing the latest generation of Navy carrier ships in the country, and nuclear submarines as well.

    According to an affidavit filed by FBI special agent Sara Shalowitz in February, a shipyard security officer alerted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to Shi’s actions. The affidavit alleges that on January 6, Shi was flying a drone in “inclement weather” before it got stuck in a neighbor’s tree. When Shi, who is a Chinese citizen, approached the neighbor for help, he was questioned about his nationality and purpose for being in the area. The unnamed resident took photos of Shi, his license plate, and his ID, and called the police. The affidavit alleges that Shi was “very nervous” when questioned by police and “did not have any real reasons” for flying a drone in bad weather. The police gave Shi the number for the fire department and said he would need to stay on the scene. Instead, he returned the rental car an hour later and left Hampton Roads, Virginia, abandoning the drone.

    When the FBI seized the drone and pulled the photos off its memory card, they discovered images that special agent Shalowitz said she recognized as being taken at Newport News Shipyard and BAE Systems, which is a 45-minute drive away. The affidavit states that on the day Shi took the photos, the Newport News Shipyard was “actively manufacturing” aircraft carriers and Virginia class nuclear submarines.

    “Naval aircraft carriers have classified and sensitive systems throughout the carriers,” the affidavit states. “The nuclear submarines present on that date also have highly classified and sensitive Navy Nuclear Propulsion Information (‘NNPI’) and those submarines even in the design and construction phase are sensitive and classified.”

    The DOJ is charging Shi with six Espionage Act misdemeanors under two statutes: one banning photographing a vital military installation and one banning the use of an aircraft to do so. Each misdemeanor can result in up to a year in prison upon conviction. While he awaits trial, Shi is restricted to living in Virginia under probation. He was forced to surrender his passport. According to court filings, he appears to require a translator.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleAdobe scolded for selling ‘Ansel Adams-style’ images generated by AI
    Next Article Dyson’s New Smart Hair Dryer Is Unfortunately Worth Every Penny

    Related Posts

    Here’s What to Know About Poland Shooting Down Russian Drones

    September 16, 2025

    Jeffrey Epstein’s Yahoo Inbox Revealed

    September 16, 2025

    Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Identified as 22-Year-Old Utah Man

    September 16, 2025

    A New Platform Offers Privacy Tools to Millions of Public Servants

    September 15, 2025

    Apple’s Big Bet to Eliminate the iPhone’s Most Targeted Vulnerabilities

    September 13, 2025

    Defense Department Scrambles to Pretend It’s Called the War Department

    September 12, 2025
    Our Picks

    Nvidia and Intel’s $5 billion deal is apparently about eating AMD’s lunch

    September 18, 2025

    Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Is Bananas for Google Gemini’s AI Image Generator

    September 18, 2025

    Verge readers can get 20 percent off Nanoleaf wall lights

    September 18, 2025

    Ubiquiti’s new desktop NAS looks more like a wireless router

    September 18, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    Microsoft is filling Teams with AI agents

    By News RoomSeptember 18, 2025

    Microsoft is adding a whole load of AI agents to Teams today, promising Copilot assistants…

    Satya Nadella is haunted at the prospect of Microsoft not surviving the AI era

    September 18, 2025

    Anker’s recent power bank recall involves over 481,000 units

    September 18, 2025

    OpenAI’s Teen Safety Features Will Walk a Thin Line

    September 18, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.