Amid privacy backlash...

[Chip]

It's not the same analogy. A license plate reader can look up the registered owner of the vehicle and home address. DJI's app will not have that information. A closer analogy is someone reporting the license plate of a hit and run driver.

Right DJI's app is not supposed to broadcast that information. But where is that information stored and who has access to it? Is access not provided at the sole discretion of DJI?

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

How about an app for drone pilots which identified who was sniffing our drone signal? It would instantly identify the sniffer by GPS location, type of device, ISP address (if applicable), etc. The identity of the registered owner of the device using the sniffer could be disclosed to any third party at the sole discretion of DJI.

Police here have vehicle radar detector detectors

 

[AMann]

Police here have vehicle radar detector detectors

Every time you turn on the app, DJ I would know who is using it so in essence there would already be a record of who was using it where, what direction it was flying, heights, etc.

One thing that will really scare some people about all those using this app Is that DJ I will know what drones are flying and where they are anytime anybody fires up the app to see who’s flying nearby. It could give DJI an advantage in knowing where their drones are being used more, and if you’re into spying you would know which drones to turn on remote video broadcasting or data capture on if you were interested in a specific locality. It’s also conceivable that one could also use DJI drones to check LAN and Wifi traffic as well. Hmmmm... ?

What a perfect spy tool, and what good little spy minions they are turning us into!

 

[Cloudhopper]

Another issue is the availability of your GPS coordinates, heading, altitude and speed. It seems DJI would be freely handing out all the data necessary to calculate a fast and stealthy intercept ... either by authorities or bad actors.

How many Mavic 2s would I need to hook to pay for an Inspire 2?

 

[anotherlab]

Right DJI's app is not supposed to broadcast that information. But where is that information stored and who has access to it? Is access not provided at the sole discretion of DJI?

There's nothing preventing them from releasing information now other than just plain common sense. At the end of the day, DJI is a company that wants to sell more drones, which they are quite good at. They are not going to go out of their way to antagonize their user base without good reason.

DJI is releasing this app because they have to. Both the FAA and the EASA will have Remote ID requirements for 2020 (probably later for the FAA), this is how DJI will be in compliance and with some added party tricks. If you were performing an inspection (roof, tower, windmill, etc), DJI will let you add a description of what you are doing and that will be broadcast by your drone over Wi-Fi Aware.

“DJI’s drone-to-phone implementation helps accomplish that by allowing drone pilots to broadcast a simple description of their flights, so anyone viewing the smartphone app can understand that they are inspecting a roof, surveying a construction site, or performing another beneficial task with a drone.”

source

There will be some unexpected benefits when the Remote ID bits are operational. If you were mounting a search and rescue mission and were running multiple drones out in the field, the command center would now have a way of seeing where all of the deployed drones were currently flying without having to interrupt the drone operators in the field.

 

[anotherlab]

Every time you turn on the app, DJ I would know who is using it so in essence there would already be a record of who was using it where, what direction it was flying, heights, etc.

One thing that will really scare some people about all those using this app Is that DJ I will know what drones are flying and where they are anytime anybody fires up the app to see who’s flying nearby. It could give DJI an advantage in knowing where their drones are being used more, and if you’re into spying you would know which drones to turn on remote video broadcasting or data capture on if you were interested in a specific locality. It’s also conceivable that one could also use DJI drones to check LAN and Wifi traffic as well. Hmmmm... ?

What a perfect spy tool, and what good little spy minions they are turning us into!

If you were that into spying, wouldn't it be easier just to fly your own drone? The video quality would be better.

 

[anotherlab]

Another issue is the availability of your GPS coordinates, heading, altitude and speed. It seems DJI would be freely handing out all the data necessary to calculate a fast and stealthy intercept ... either by authorities or bad actors.

How many Mavic 2s would I need to hook to pay for an Inspire 2?

Of course, the Mavics would also be broadcasting the same information....

 

[AMann]

If you were that into spying, wouldn't it be easier just to fly your own drone? The video quality would be better.

Not if you don’t have clearance or access to be at a specific site. One could also delineate hot spots and areas of interest that the software would alert you to any drones that may be flying there to get the latest imagery or other data from that location. This is another possible reason why the US is sensitive about its personnel using DJI drones on the job.

 

[Multi-Rotor Pilot812]

What about the tens of thousands of other drones that frequent the sky that aren’t DJI? What about the thousands of DJI drones sold by third party retailers that the buyers of didn’t bother with the refresh program? Do you really think that those retailers are taking down the serial numbers of the aircraft they sell? C‘mon, DJI never use to care one bit until their U.S. market shares reached a point that they thought to themselves we better cover our butt’s a little better. That’s all this is, a tactic to say “don’t blame us” we’re doing everything possible see. These aircraft are available with cameras that weigh mere ounces, if you’re home draw your blinds. Otherwise anyone that thinks that their modern day privacy is most at stake of being violated by consumer drones must be a special fool is all I can say.

 

[dirkclod]

I’m curious just how many non droners will even know
about this app.

 

[Multi-Rotor Pilot812]

I’m curious just how many non droners will even know
about this app.

Probably about as many non droners that know who DJI even is I’d say, lol.

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

Remove the Wi-Fi transceiver from the AC.

 

[SpinItUp]

I'm sure someone will come up with a software crack

Sent from my W65_67SC using MavicPilots mobile app

 

[sar104]

Remove the Wi-Fi transceiver from the AC.

That will work about as well as removing the battery.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I don't see a lot of privacy issues there.
According to the article:
DJI said. Using only Wi-Fi, a person could use the app to identify a nearby drone’s identification number, as well as location, altitude, speed, and direction of the drone.
DJI says its app would work on drones within a 1-kilometer (0.62 mile).
The article isn't saying your name and contact details are going to be available.

If someone is flying from home, it would potentially allow tracking the drone back to the pilot, revealing their home address, from the app alone. However, as long as the drone pilot is flying the drone more than a mile away from home, the pilot's home location is probably secure, except from neighbors!

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

That will work about as well as removing the battery.

That’s the point.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

as many non droners that know who DJI even is I’d say, lol

For interest, I checked out behind the DJI name recently and discovered . . .
DJI = Dà-Jiāng Innovations
In Chinese this translates to "great frontier innovation".

Founded by Frank Wong in 2006 (in his dorm room at a Hong Kong University of Science & Tech) he got a grant for US$2300 and developed a drone prototype in 2006.

To keep this on topic, DJI is very private with this info on their website and marketing.

 

[Meta4]

Founded by Frank Wong in 2006 (in his dorm room at a Hong Kong University of Science & Tech) he got a grant for US$2300 and developed a drone prototype in 2006.
DJI is very private with this info on their website and marketing.

DJI might not tell the story on their website but the story of Frank WANG has been widely reported.

DJI Frank Wang Interview With WSJ And DJI Company Information - DroneZon

WSJ interview with CEO Frank Wang of drone company, DJI. Takes us from the beginning of DJI, his vision for drones in 2010 and how to achieve this vision

www.dronezon.com

How DJI went from dorm project to world’s biggest drone company

The Shenzhen-based company generated sales of US$2.7 billion in 2017, an 80 per cent jump from the year before.

www.scmp.com

The guy who started DJI becomes Asia's youngest tech billionaire

He's worth a whopping $3.2 billion, thanks to drones.

mashable.com

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

DJI might not tell the story on their website but the story of Frank WANG has been widely reported.

DJI Frank Wang Interview With WSJ And DJI Company Information - DroneZon

WSJ interview with CEO Frank Wang of drone company, DJI. Takes us from the beginning of DJI, his vision for drones in 2010 and how to achieve this vision

www.dronezon.com

How DJI went from dorm project to world’s biggest drone company

The Shenzhen-based company generated sales of US$2.7 billion in 2017, an 80 per cent jump from the year before.

www.scmp.com

The guy who started DJI becomes Asia's youngest tech billionaire

He's worth a whopping $3.2 billion, thanks to drones.

mashable.com

Incredible, perfect storm . . . right place, right time, right vision / plan . . . US$2300 ?

 

[Chip]

From DJI's Own White Paper:

"Although UAS do not carry people, and so do not implicate free movement of people, identification information does indicate the location of the person operating the UAS, thus revealing the activities of persons and businesses. The interest in privacy is, unfortunately, arguably heightened compared to manned aircraft considering the occasional violent confrontations that UAS operators have faced over the last few years, including physical assault and gunfire. A system that enables belligerent individuals to look up the name and address of, and then knock on the door of, a local UAS operator, is not acceptable and will detrimentally impact UAS operators who are operating safely and doing nothing wrong. The personal information of the owner (or operator) should be accessible to law enforcement only, who can investigate complaints of unlawful or dangerous conduct. Privacy and personal safety interests compel an identification system that protects operator business interests and discloses personally identifiable information only to law enforcement agencies."

My how times change.