Welcome, Commercial Drone Pilots!
Join our growing community today!
Sign up

DJI, National Security and You

Avocet

Well-Known Member
DSAR Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Messages
143
Reaction score
52
Age
67
Location
Maine
Website
www.kestrelsolutionsuav.com
Smelled this one coming for a good while now ... anyone with a DJI Inspire1/2 with a Huawei Tablet Mediapad 3/5 ta boot! ????

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they're not out to get cha..."

click -> Stir the pot ... :cool:
 
Last edited:

Remember awhile back when DJI was getting all the bad (but earned) press about collecting data. And the DoD banned their use on installations. DJI said it was all innocent and that they would allow the user to cut the umbilical.

I went to give DJI's Ground Station Pro a look but the first thing you had to do was agree to their TOS. Crazy that they just don't get it, or worse, they get it and just don't care. Eventually, if they are banned in the US, I bet they'll get it then. Unless they are now an action cam company instead.

I don't map top secret installations, but I declined to use the app nevertheless.

1352
 
Their new mapping service is going to be a treasure trove of data, and most won’t even think about it.

Used to work for an aerospace company that was developing an ultra large heavy lift multirotor in conjunction with another mil grade aerospace outfit. Initially it was set up with A3 controllers but was doing some weird stuff. Since they had plenty of in house code talent they broke the FC code to see what was going on. After a bunch of big surprises they dumped the FC brand for another. Couple years later someone else found stuff and went public.
 
DJI's rebuttal in the article I linked above is the same as what the spinners said last time. In summary, "the user can opt out of data sharing...". Well, maybe they can and maybe they can't. If they keep fooling around and find themselves with restrictions like Hawei finds itself, they will find out the cost of their actions. Hawei is the largest network equipment maker and they are in a bit of trouble. Huawei was never caught collecting data but the ideal that they could got them into their predicament.
DJI has already been caught, and apparently (see their TOE above) continues to compile user data from their equipment. If the US were to ban their gear until it can be trusted, most of the west will follow and that will put a bit of hurt on sales one would think. Ah, Brendan will come up with something !
 
So what's the sensitive information that anyone is ever going to find in your flight data?

Nothing to my knowledge. But who's to know what someone could learn from the aggregated non-sensitive, or possibly sensitive, data of 10's or 100's of thousands of users around the globe with whom you are trying to compete? I don't know, do you? Why is DJI so insistent on collecting it, even when it gives them a black eye in the press. It must be worth something to them, right?

FWIW, I don't share my non-sensitive data with social media either. But I know that many choose to.
 
Nothing to my knowledge. But who's to know what someone could learn from the aggregated non-sensitive, or possibly sensitive, data of 10's or 100's of thousands of users around the globe with whom you are trying to compete? I don't know, do you?
Putting it all together they might be able to work out that a lot of drone flyers play with their drones in backyards, parks, playing fields, beaches and deserts.
Some fly out and back while others go round and round.
That's about it.
Sensitive information? I've seen hundreds of flight records and still haven't seen anything that could be described as sensitive.
Why is DJI so insistent on collecting it, even when it gives them a black eye in the press. It must be worth something to them, right?
Why do you assume they are collecting your flight data?
I know they aren't collecting mine and would never get to see it unless I choose to share it with them.
 
Out of curiosity, do you know exactly what data is being recorded within the flight system? Do you ever connect your aircraft or controller to your computer and DJI’s assistant? Do you perform firmware updates online or download them to computer and upload via the assistant? Do you know, precisely, what data is transferred between the assistant and the aircraft? Is there a bidirectional data exchange? How much data is transferred from the aircraft to the computer/assistant? Might the assistant perform an auto data dump the next time the computer connects to the web? If you don’t have a definitive answer to any of those questions your data is not secure, nor is the data you collected for your customers. China steals U.S. IP, private, public, military, government, to the tune of ~600 billion $ a year. Every company in China is required by their law to share any and all data with their intelligence services, and to collect specialized data as ordered where possible. It’s their law and to break the law in China is many ways painful for those that disobey.

Just sayin’ there’s lots of ways to move data you won’t be aware of. Surveillance packages are not made from single source data collection, and rarely, if ever, from a one time pass over. I know this because I did it for a living.

Aerial surveillance uses many, many passes and angles to develop info to see change. The process is often persistent over time, using data from multiple sources to build a package. Hundreds or thousands of data sets can be, and often are, reviewed to capture a tiny piece from each one to build a complete picture. OpSec is a process that requires every stage of an operation do everything possible to prevent small bits of info from leaking out from which substantive intel can be developed from.

People like to argue that any land view they want can be obtained from Google Earth. Those making that argument demonstrate how little they know about Google Earth imagery and are unaware much of that imagery was altered before publication because of government pressure. If you want accurate, up to date imagery there’s no better way to get it than from people doing photographic flyovers willing to give it away, knowingly or not.

Simply put, where data security is concerned American people are incredibly stupid and unwittingly give away everything they have to anyone that wants to take it. Even more incredible is they trust the people they do business with, thinking those businesses are their to help them.

A multirotor with a photographic, signal collection, or chemical/gas survey payload is a data collection device. Where the data goes after collection is often questionable.
 
Last edited:
Out of curiosity, do you know exactly what data is bring recorded within the flight system?
Do you ever connect your aircraft or controller to your computer and DJI’s assistant?
Do you perform firmware updates online or download them to computer and upload via the assistant?
Do you know, precisely, what data is transferred between the assistant and the aircraft?
Is there a bidirectional data exchange? How much data is transferred from the aircraft to the computer/assistant?
Might the assistant perform an auto data dump the next time the computer connects to the web?
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
If you don’t have a definitive answer to any of those questions your data is not secure, nor is the data you collected for your customers.
Like I said .. My data is safe from DJI and China.
But since I know that there's nothing in the data that anyone would be able to make any use of, here's some for you.
Knock yourself out with this and see how much sensitive information you can find about me or my client.
It will tell you where I flew for my client and you can see how high I flew, my battery levels etc but I very much doubt you'll find anything at all sensitive in there.
People like to argue that any land view they want can be obtained from Google Earth. Those making that argument demonstrate how little they know about Google Earth imagery and are unaware much of that imagery was altered before publication because of government pressure. If you want accurate, up to date imagery there’s no better way to get it than from people doing photographic flyovers willing to give it away, knowingly or not.
Now you are just being silly.
DJI don't get to see your photos or videos
And .... Do you really think DJI or whichever spymaster they work for are really interested in all the parks, playing fields, beaches and backyards that people fly in?
 
Last edited:
Why do you assume they are collecting your flight data?

Well, DJI is the one requiring users to accept a release of data in order to use the gear. I think you would need to ask them "why".

Many have and they always respond with something like "in order to enhance user experience". But those of us, like you, that have been around for a long time, know that DJI doesn't care too much about user experience AFTER the sale.

My point, since you seemed to have missed it, is not that "I" have sensitive data that I need to hide. It is that DJI is getting themselves in a bind because of even the appearance of eavesdropping. Can you agree that that policy may be bad for their bottom line in the long run ?
 
Well, DJI is the one requiring users to accept a release of data in order to use the gear. I think you would need to ask them "why".
The point is that DJI do not collect anyone's flight data anyway.
 
China has collected millions of oceanic photos and video. Ducks and ponds. China is going to take control of all the drones in the US remotely, and use them to launch an attack against us all. Don't worry though it will only last 20 minutes and anything important is safe as DJI drones won't fly in those areas!
 
  • Like
Reactions: LUIS MARTINEZ
I’m more worried about Facebook, WhatsApp, and my wife’s Tesla model x.
My iPads are not connected to the internet. I cached offline maps, and set my poi the night before to my iPads, and some are pre-programed from previous missions.

The majority are flying DJI, commercial pilots, hobbyists alike. If a threat to our Homeland is serious do you think we would sit around and wait for something to happen?

The accusations has lots of questionable gaps in the report, and at the same time coincidental to the current events that surrounds the FAA, Goggle, and Amazon wanting to take over the 400alt.

Another false flag by the government that for years, wanting to remove the giant DJI that has met all of the requirements set forth by the government, has supported the military in our drone project.
 
Also prove that whatever it is that being sent back to China are vital, against our own country that openly spies on its allies and citizens.

A problem with proof is that revealing what is known also reveals where and how observations were made and can indirectly disclose the methods used to make the observations. Anyone conducting any form of espionage would love nothing more than learning exactly which of their activities were exposed as it would enable them to alter the manner they had been obtaining information. That's what has both Hauwei and DJI with their shorts in a bunch. They keep demanding to be told what their accusers know and are being denied that info, which prevents them from making alterations to better conceal their activities.

I'm really surprised that anyone that was part of the U.S. military might not be aware of how operational security works, and the lengths some will go to in order to obtain inside information belonging to their enemies or competitors. We also might want to consider the book "The Art of War" was written by a Chinese general centuries ago and it's still used as a text book in both the military and business worlds.
 
Prove it!!
It's impossible to provide satisfactory proof to people with a conspiracy theory mindset.
They are convinced despite evidence and nothing can change their minds.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
4,277
Messages
37,605
Members
5,969
Latest member
KC5JIM