Drone maker DJI facing U.S. FCC ban — the national security risk and part China-state ownership are key issues
Drone maker DJI facing U.S. FCC ban — the national security risk and part China-state ownership are key issues
Funny thing is, those Chinese drones are being heavily used by Ukraine, because they're more reliable than US-made drones. In 2023, Ukraine bought about 60% of the global supply of DJI's Mavic quadcopters.
commercial drones have to be reflashed for combat use anyway. it only makes sense for them to standardize on something
The corporatocracy achieved their goal of gutting the developed worlds working class and nullifying both labor and environment regulations for their most pollutant and exploitative industries.
Now that like 10 corporations have monopolized most of the wests products and supply chains, they can extract even more value by removing Chinese owned products from the supply pool. Of course, most of their products will continue coming from the same Chinese factories. This is only the beginning.
From the FCC.
DJI drones and the surveillance technology on board these systems are collecting vast amounts of sensitive data—everything from high-resolution images of critical infrastructure to facial recognition technology and remote sensors that can measure an individual’s body temperature and heart rate,” Commissioner Carr stated. “Security researchers have also found that DJI’s software applications collect large quantities of personal information from the operator’s smartphone that could be exploited by Beijing. Indeed, one former Pentagon official stated that ‘we know that a lot of the information is sent back to China from’ DJI drones.
“DJI’s collection of vast troves of sensitive data isespecially troubling given that China’s National Intelligence Law grants the Chinese government the power to compel DJI to assist it in espionage activities. In fact, the Commerce Department placed DJI on its Entity List last year, citing DJI’s role in Communist China’s surveillance and abuse of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Add to this information the widespread use of DJI drones by various state and local public safety and law enforcement agencies as well as news reports that the U.S. Secret Service and FBI recently bought DJI drones, and the need for quick action on the potential national security threat is clear.
Chinese drone company, which is also supplying most of Ukraine's drones, is not okay
But American company using Chinese parts to make their drones and sell with "made in USA" markup is fine
MIC just mad they can't sell their crappy 50k per unit drone because a $100 one from AliExpress is doing a better job of dropping grenades and not overheating.
Delete your post.
From the FCC.
DJI drones and the surveillance technology on board these systems are collecting vast amounts of sensitive data—everything from high-resolution images of critical infrastructure to facial recognition technology and remote sensors that can measure an individual’s body temperature and heart rate,” Commissioner Carr stated. “Security researchers have also found that DJI’s software applications collect large quantities of personal information from the operator’s smartphone that could be exploited by Beijing. Indeed, one former Pentagon official stated that ‘we know that a lot of the information is sent back to China from’ DJI drones.
“DJI’s collection of vast troves of sensitive data isespecially troubling given that China’s National Intelligence Law grants the Chinese government the power to compel DJI to assist it in espionage activities. In fact, the Commerce Department placed DJI on its Entity List last year, citing DJI’s role in Communist China’s surveillance and abuse of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Add to this information the widespread use of DJI drones by various state and local public safety and law enforcement agencies as well as news reports that the U.S. Secret Service and FBI recently bought DJI drones, and the need for quick action on the potential national security threat is clear.
Isn't every Chinese company partly state-owned?
No, that is a common misconception. Most (~85%) companies in China are completely private and just pay taxes. Most of the super large companies (like fortune 500) are partially or completely state owned though. They have embraced aspects of capitalism the last decade, but with checks to ensure that huge corporations don't control society like in the US.
Being a closed authoritarian regime, where every company is under party control, they have to do what the party says. Which can easily be something secretly nefarious
You mean they have to follow laws? Damn communist.
From the FCC.
DJI drones and the surveillance technology on board these systems are collecting vast amounts of sensitive data—everything from high-resolution images of critical infrastructure to facial recognition technology and remote sensors that can measure an individual’s body temperature and heart rate,” Commissioner Carr stated. “Security researchers have also found that DJI’s software applications collect large quantities of personal information from the operator’s smartphone that could be exploited by Beijing. Indeed, one former Pentagon official stated that ‘we know that a lot of the information is sent back to China from’ DJI drones.
“DJI’s collection of vast troves of sensitive data isespecially troubling given that China’s National Intelligence Law grants the Chinese government the power to compel DJI to assist it in espionage activities. In fact, the Commerce Department placed DJI on its Entity List last year, citing DJI’s role in Communist China’s surveillance and abuse of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Add to this information the widespread use of DJI drones by various state and local public safety and law enforcement agencies as well as news reports that the U.S. Secret Service and FBI recently bought DJI drones, and the need for quick action on the potential national security threat is clear.
They should ban them because their software is so awful instead
Who makes better?
Question is: do I buy one now and risk them bricking it out of spite… I guess as long as I don’t update the firmware? I don’t actually know how their geofence works.
This is lame. They already crammed remoteID™ down our throats :-( Although this will do way more to curtail drone activity it’s demonstrably not going to stop anyone from doing anything really bad.
Build your own drone. Don't bother paying the DJI markup when you can get a full frame mirrorless on a bunch of wood with brushless motors attached.
Okay but the DJI drones have just a few benefits over something like that lol
Oh I’ve built a few over the last 10 years. There’s a lot to be said for what DJI has accomplished over that time. I doubt it would cost me less that 10K to make something that has all the features they offer in a $2K package. And it would take months for a prototype.
From the FCC.
DJI drones and the surveillance technology on board these systems are collecting vast amounts of sensitive data—everything from high-resolution images of critical infrastructure to facial recognition technology and remote sensors that can measure an individual’s body temperature and heart rate,” Commissioner Carr stated. “Security researchers have also found that DJI’s software applications collect large quantities of personal information from the operator’s smartphone that could be exploited by Beijing. Indeed, one former Pentagon official stated that ‘we know that a lot of the information is sent back to China from’ DJI drones.
“DJI’s collection of vast troves of sensitive data isespecially troubling given that China’s National Intelligence Law grants the Chinese government the power to compel DJI to assist it in espionage activities. In fact, the Commerce Department placed DJI on its Entity List last year, citing DJI’s role in Communist China’s surveillance and abuse of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Add to this information the widespread use of DJI drones by various state and local public safety and law enforcement agencies as well as news reports that the U.S. Secret Service and FBI recently bought DJI drones, and the need for quick action on the potential national security threat is clear.
What’s your point?
There’s a handful of valid notions in there, but they apply to the vast majority of apps people download.
It’s a choice. You could get the same technology from an American company for… 50-80K if you’re lucky and will to roll up your sleeves and learn some sophisticated GIS software (not included).
Or you could get the DJI for… let’s call it 6K including a nice laptop and let the evil orientials know the layout of your hazlenut orchard. Oh nooooos! Spooky scary!
The Uyghur thing is a problem for me. And I would need to understand that better before I buy something. If it’s a case of the Chinese government asking DJI to provide surveillance tech, I’m not sure that’s a request they can deny. If it’s DJI using slave/forced labor, fuckem.
So am I gonna get a refund for my unusable product?
West big corps pushing to ban Chinese brands
Same west big corps selling you shit made in the same factories
Round business.. happy customers..
I thought DJI has an R&D office in California? Is that just for show and the actual R&D is done in Shenzhen?
Heh. Theyve been on the market here too long for that to do anything but make the fcc feel better
Dumb.
"We are too corrupt to draft meaningful privacy legislation, but watch as we pretend CCP is the real problem."
Performative BS
Same thing with TikTok
They want privacy from us but not privacy for us.
IOW there are plenty in the government who don’t want citizens to have access to information about what they’re doing in government, but they’re quite happy to try to make more legislation giving them rights or backdoor access to citizens’ information.
They're the Boogeyman of the decade.
From the FCC.
Great context and important to see. I hadn't thought about the tons of minable data from the drone's video and GPS data alone.
And many, many mobile apps out there, except this one is the bad one, because: China.
My point is that meaningful privacy legislation would stop all apps from doing this with our data, but we have legislators who only pretend to care if a bogeyman has access to the data, and forget the part where any adversary could simply buy the data on the open data market.
I'm personally less interested in China having access to my daily movements than I am my own government, which includes states that are trying to criminalize going to certain medical providers.
I'd prefer if nobody had access, but I can see through the charade. These legislators are invested in technology that competes with China, and that collect and sell our data, so they prefer to keep things the way they are and pick winners and losers.