DJI doesn't want to be banned in the US.

[Fred Garvin]

But Article 77 of China’s State Security Law requires Chinese based businesses to “provide assistance with work relating to state security,”.......hmmmmm......that’s a big part of the rub here, even though there has yet to be any proven evidence of a company being used to provide data.....but it’s there. And that’s a problem.

Me personally, I could care less. They can get more info from Google, Google Earth, and Google Street View than i’ll Ever provide with my flights.

 

[R.P..R]

The Mueller report has more far interesting stuff concerning the vulnerability of our security... In broad daylight the Russian hacked our system.

 

[Meta4]

I’m sure Huawei has a lot to do with it......there’s been some grumbling that DJI is next.

The Huawei thing turns out to have been just political bargaining rather than any real security issue.

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[Fred Garvin]

It was expected after the Jinping meeting.

 

[Dave Pitman]

Currently, it doesn't really matter if DJI was/is/or can collect user and operational data. The fact is the US DoD banned the use of DJI drones on their projects years before there was any political trade war with China. Then, other agencies started to take the DoD's lead simply because of the perception that if it's bad for the DoD, then maybe it's bad for other gov't agencies too. And if it's bad for other federal agencies, the state agencies (or their contractors) don't want to be seen a reckless, so maybe they better not use them either just for good measure. Big corporations are just going to follow along because...why not.

Right at the same time, DJI is shifting their uas business model to try and promote more industrial use of their craft. Really bad timing. So, DJI comes up with an amazing idea. Their drones, now with no live connection to the internet. What a concept. We won't mention the fact that there were many users trying to get them to understand their shortsightedness with regard this issue over 4 years ago. It wasn't hurting their bottom line then, but it is beginning to now. So here comes this "new" idea.

DJI has a perception problem, and it didn't start with the T administration. It's only getting worse with it. The gorilla in the room gets it's way many times. But not all the time.

DJI's geo scheme is another story. If and when it starts to bite into their bottom line, look for them to retreat from it as well.

 

[Meta4]

So, DJI comes up with an amazing idea. Their drones, now with no live connection to the internet. What a concept.

You've always been able to fly your DJI drone without any internet connection.
The only time you need any internet connection is the very first time you activate a new drone, but never for flying it.

 

[ArrUnTuS]

I think the issue has moved towards a path that makes no sense. Whether the Chinese or American government or any government is interested in where we fly our drones, it is not in the hands of the manufacturer to dictate where we can or cannot fly. That's really the bottom line.

Many of us have been saying for years that it is something totally unacceptable, that it is not normal for a manufacturer to tell us what we can or cannot do with our drones, that it is not normal that every time you connect to the internet your data is sent (you don't have to be connected to the internet to fly but when you do it to update, your data is sent anyway).

Who determines where or where we can not fly is the government, not a manufacturer. As far as I know neither the US government nor any government has told DJI that it has to provide where the drones it manufactures fly. Therefore, is discarded any security reason that some claim to justify this measure that the manufacturer obtains mandatory this data without allowing the user to choose between providing or not that information. That is where the problem really lies.

Please don't fall into the trap, many say, I don't care if they know where I'm flying or not, so you start to lose your freedom in every way. If I'm not doing anything wrong because you have to know or not where I am, what are those data used for?

In this thread, normal people like us are being limited in our freedom of anonymity and action, presuming that we do things wrong and that therefore, they have to limit the tools we use. It would be very bad if the government did it, but for a manufacturer to do it is simply ridiculous.

Just one more thing to finish, something that I do not understand nor will I ever understand is that many now complain about security, about an alleged espionage by a foreign government and other things when their own government is the most shamelessly spying on their own citizens and also on foreigners in their own countries lying and alleging security reasons, isn't it ipocrit?

 

[Meta4]

that it is not normal that every time you connect to the internet your data is sent (you don't have to be connected to the internet to fly but when you do it to update, your data is sent anyway).

Therefore, is discarded any security reason that some claim to justify this measure that the manufacturer obtains mandatory this data without allowing the user to choose between providing or not that information. That is where the problem really lies.

Please don't fall into the trap, many say, I don't care if they know where I'm flying or not, so you start to lose your freedom in every way. If I'm not doing anything wrong because you have to know or not where I am, what are those data used for?

In this thread, normal people like us are being limited in our freedom of anonymity and action, presuming that we do things wrong and that therefore, they have to limit the tools we use. It would be very bad if the government did it, but for a manufacturer to do it is simply ridiculous.

These four lines all are about the misconception that DJI knows where you are flying and has access to your flight data.
Even though people like you continue to repeat this, it just is not true.

 

[ArrUnTuS]

These four lines all are about the misconception that DJI knows where you are flying and has access to your flight data.
Even though people like you continue to repeat this, it just is not true.

Buddy, I'm gonna answer you the same way. Just because you say it isn't true doesn't mean it isn't.

I firmly believe, I do not know now or when they have stopped doing it, or if they continue to do it, but computer experts showed that it was done without consent. Now, if you mean it wasn't like that and you want to make others believe it wasn't like that, that's up to you.

 

[The Editor]

"Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me."

Frankie Howard

 

[Meta4]

I firmly believe, I do not know now or when they have stopped doing it, or if they continue to do it, but computer experts showed that it was done without consent.

Your problem is you listen to and believe the wrong people.
It's impossible to convince the confirmed paranoiacs.
But you if you have an open mind it's pretty simple.
If you fly with no internet, how can your data go anywhere?
And if you want to be extra paranoid, if you delete your flight data, how's it ever going anywhere?
If you wanted to design a system to harvest your precious secret data, it would be pretty stupid to make it so easy to defeat??

 

[Dave Pitman]

You've always been able to fly your DJI drone without any internet connection.
The only time you need any internet connection is the very first time you activate a new drone, but never for flying it.

Sure. You also did not need to connect to DJI ever, except to download a new firmware .bin file or download the mobile app. But that is history.

If DJI does not find themselves suffering from a perception problem that is beginning to bite into the bottom line, then please explain DJI's reasoning for making a point of NO INTERNET CONNECTION with their Government Edition craft that are the same craft with different firmware?

 

[Meta4]

Sure. You also did not need to connect to DJI ever, except to download a new firmware .bin file

You've never needed to download new firmware.
If you didn't want to, that was your choice.

please explain DJI's reasoning for making a point of NO INTERNET CONNECTION with their Government Edition craft that are the same craft with different firmware?

Because it's what people like you want?
I can't see the point except for marketing since you've never needed internet to fly.

 

[R.P..R]

I don’t believe DJI is shaken and sales is affected in all of this, but to reduce the noise, move production to California.

 

[Dave Pitman]

You've never needed to download new firmware.
If you didn't want to, that was your choice.

I base my firmware choice on if the craft is dialed in vs what am I going to gain + the chance that something gets broke. Probably just like you. But my point was that DJI used to have an air-gapped scheme that worked just fine. I suspect they wanted to promote all the social network connectivity and let guys log their flights to see how far they've flown, etc. more than wanting to snoop. But we are talking about perception. You seem to keep ignoring that fact. If the PERCEPTION is that they are snooping, or can snoop if they want to, then folks like the DoD call time-out and other's follow, simply based upon PERCEPTION.

Because it's what people like you want?
I can't see the point except for marketing since you've never needed internet to fly.

No, it's to combat the PERCEPTION that DJI can snoop if they want to. They made a small attempt to deal with this when they released the Pilot App (new version). But it didn't quite go far enough to remove the perception so now they are rolling out the "Government Edition"

My overall point is that DJI made a conscious choice years ago to follow this path. They received flack for it but they couldn't care less, until it started affecting the bottom line. They could have chosen to keep their scheme air-gapped like it was in the beginning and we wouldn't be having this conversation at all. Please note that in all of this, I have not stated that DJI is/was/or will snoop on it's users. That is not the point. It's the PERCEPTION that they could which has facilitated the Government Edition.

I would add that I have many DJI craft that I use fairly regularly. I don't worry about their motives and I don't operate with a data connected smart control device. And I don't sync my flight logs to DJI or social media either. But DJI is rolling out the GE for a reason. Ultimately it is to try and protect sales for some reason.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

General Secretary Xi and his minions are welcome to my pics, you know, the ones they can't get from their multimillion $$ satellites over our heads...Much ado about nothing. Silly.

 

[PatR]

And it still amuses me to no end how effectively they can dupe their customer base into accepting their overly aggressive geofencing.

Indeed, as their geo fencing is dynamic in that it changes daily with updated FAA data. The only way it can change at the aircraft is if the aircraft is still linked with the mother ship.

Anyone willing to lay odds that if one of these “secure” drones was to collide with an aircraft DJI could and would offer up the flight data before it was requested?

China is a total control country that makes Orwell pale in comparison. That kind of power is not relinquished. Better concealed but never relinquished.

 

[R.P..R]

Indeed, as their geo fencing is dynamic in that it changes daily with updated FAA data. The only way it can change at the aircraft is if the aircraft is still linked with the mother ship.

The majority of the DJI end users on here are clueless? Including myself, but yet, we go to work everyday without a single complaint.

 

[PatR]

The Mueller report has more far interesting stuff concerning the vulnerability of our security... In broad daylight the Russian hacked our system.

So did the Chinese, or did you miss the part where they hacked all the OPM personnel files. If you were military, worked for government, or applied for a clearance they got yours too.

BTW, our FAA never requested DJI implement NFZ’s, they did that on their own as part of a business plan to use governments to legislate a software monopoly in favor of DJI. The idiots in the EU fell for it and the UK is following suit. The original NFZ concept was concocted by the Small UAV Coalition, who’s members included Amazon, 3DR, DJI, Go Pro, and Yuneec. Of course that could not happen until some software entity came up with a map platform for NFZ’s to work from. Enter AirMap.

 

[R.P..R]

So did the Chinese, or did you miss the part where they hacked all the OPM personnel files. If you were military, worked for government, or applied for a clearance they got yours too.

BTW, our FAA never requested DJI implement NFZ’s, they did that on their own as part of a business plan to use governments to legislate a software monopoly in favor of DJI. The idiots in the EU fell for it and the UK is following suit. The original NFZ concept was concocted by the Small UAV Coalition, who’s members included Amazon, 3DR, DJI, Go Pro, and Yuneec. Of course that could not happen until some software entity came up with a map platform for NFZ’s to work from. Enter AirMap.

Did you miss the obvious facts, that Russia hacked our system in broad day light that added insult to the injury? Let’s start there.

Our FAA collaborated with DJI. Geofencing provides a safety net and we need more, and these zones should only accessible to operators with proper credentials.