DJI to restrict non-compliant drones at next software update

[rydfree]

Perhaps this the brainchild of a diabolical Chinese company to gather as much data about the locations and details of users lives, details of landscapes and other key data to be used for some other purpose?

One day we will have a couple thousand fly aways only to realize a couple days later they were really just gathering intelligence for the invasion . Perfect Trojan horse maybe ?

 

[mark_t]

But there is no point in that since it already knows where it is. No we don't know what it will lead to in practice, but they wouldn't need to change anything if it was not to enforce things that weren't enforced before.

Why does it want my account location? To hardcode my country's limitations somwhere? But isn't that already the case? Then what happens when I travel?

There some unanswered questions for sure, but I'm not jumping to assume the worst either.

I'll be in a position to test some of this myself next week as I'll have one of my drones in a different country from the one where the account it is attached to is registered, so I'll see first hand what problems if any that causes...

 

[adiru]

This will be interesting from a contract law perspective (anyone actually read DJI's full T's and C's?) for those who purchased their equipment under a different premise. Not sure you can effectively entice someone to purchase a product under one set of expectations and then arbitrarily change those (limit) expectations without offering some compensation if the use is subsequently limited, unless it is spelled out at the time purchase.

This is probably why DJI with the new updates is requiring "re-activation" and that all users "re-login" to accept some new TOS of some sort. After that, there is no going back.

 

[adiru]

One day we will have a couple thousand fly aways only to realize a couple days later they were really just gathering intelligence for the invasion . Perfect Trojan horse maybe ?

DJI is incompetent, its more likely like Pokeman Go it will get weaponized by the CIA and used as crowd source covert recon platform.

 

[adiru]

Why mass hacking if you can just avoid using go4? A few weeks ago i was into a NFZ (not aware of till i took off and forced landing): just for curiosity i tried Litchi and the MP took off like a charm. So if really the MP gets seriously limited by new FW and app, i guess the easiest way is to stop upgrades, both quad and app, or just use Litchi. BTW, i am on .0400 and not planning to upgrade anymore and turned off auto updates on my iphone.

Problem is DJI could strongarm litchi, something like if you don't force update your Litchi apps to comply with our standards, we'll stop letting you access to our SDK.

 

[BerndM]

Now I'm really glad that I kept my DJI F450 Flamewheel and my Yuneec Q500 4K flyers.
Eff DJI and their BS. They are not the government OR my Mother

 

[RyanHT]

I think DJI needs to be very careful here. They could be at some form of legal exposure by locking down our drones, especially after the fact from our purchases. Limiting the use of our own property could be a problem for them if it were challenged. There is supposedly an unlock feature, but I'm not for sure how that will work. #weshallseehowthisgoes.

 

[adiru]

I think DJI needs to be very careful here. They could be at some form of legal exposure by locking down our drones, especially after the fact from our purchases. Limiting the use of our own property could be a problem for them if it were challenged. There is supposedly an unlock feature, but I'm not for sure how that will work. #weshallseehowthisgoes.

I concur, my legal analysis
Does anyone can find post with link to screenshot DJI legal stating upgrade optional and that suasne

It is one thing to impose whatever draconian rules they wish on brand new Mavic's being sold, pre-activation. But to require or otherwise force a re-activation and update/etc retroactively on old units already sold and activated and flying or else face having a severely locked down and handicapped Mavic will most definitely expose DJI to the possibility of a class action.

 

[mark_t]

...But to require or otherwise force a re-activation and update/etc retroactively on old units already sold and activated and flying or else face having a severely locked down and handicapped Mavic will most definitely expose DJI to the possibility of a class action.

Except of course they aren't requiring or forcing people to do the update, and if you don't do the update you don't need to re-activate...

Having thought through all of this as it has evolved I'm pretty sure there will be changes in what people are being asked to accept during the activation process this time, so proceed with caution, but I'm betting when I read it I'm not going to have any problem accepting it as once again, if they go too far they are just going to kill their own sales...

 

[Michael Ainsworth]

I know it's not exactly the same but a lot of computer programmes are now cloud based and you only lease the programmes. Thinking Photoshop and Lightroom here. If you want the full features then you you pay a monthly/annual fee. Otherwise you get the base programme if that.
Seems to me consumers are losing control over many things.

 

[adiru]

I know it's not exactly the same but a lot of computer programmes are now cloud based and you only lease the programmes. Thinking Photoshop and Lightroom here. If you want the full features then you you pay a monthly/annual fee. Otherwise you get the base programme if that.
Seems to me consumers are losing control over many things.

Yes, but Mavic was never pitched as "drone rental as a service"
DJI also never stated to prospective customers that DJI Go app would be a requirement to fly. In fact in all its advertising and press it said that customers can fly with only the remote controller if they wished.

 

[Michael Ainsworth]

True.

 

[ryo]

Problem is DJI could strongarm litchi, something like if you don't force update your Litchi apps to comply with our standards, we'll stop letting you access to our SDK.

It's a possibility, but why would Dji get so radical? I mean, when they comply with government requirements they are done: leaving an open door to 3rd party sw like litchi it's just useful and necessary, also because i think that too many restrictions might represent a kind of suicide for Dji considering that there are plenty of other compnies out there ready to jump in. If my only hope to use my MP is with litchi and even that possibility is compromised, why should i keep my Mavic for (or buy one)?

 

[adiru]

It's a possibility, but why would Dji get so radical? I mean, when they comply with government requirements they are done: leaving an open door to 3rd party sw it's just useful and necessary, also because i think that too many restrictions might represent a kind of suicide for Dji considering that there are plenty of other compnies out there ready to jump in.

I'm not sure why DJI has already gotten so 'radicial'. I too wish this wasn't the case.

But I can foresee DJI hinting to Litchi that if Litchi doesn't follow suite, DJI isn't going to put too much effort into fixing the "bugs" in the newer firmware that have effectively some of Litchi's intelligent modes all but completely unusable.... Read between the lines if you wish but I dont' like how this is going, the optics are not good.

 

[ryo]

I'm not sure why DJI has already gotten so 'radicial'. I too wish this wasn't the case.

But I can foresee DJI hinting to Litchi that if Litchi doesn't follow suite, DJI isn't going to put too much effort into fixing the "bugs" in the newer firmware that have effectively some of Litchi's intelligent modes all but completely unusable.... Read between the lines if you wish but I dont' like how this is going, the optics are not good.

Time will tell, in the mean time i keep my actual versions and don't upgrade anything.
That said, it was something that we could see coming considering the amount of idiots that don't follow any rule.

 

[Michael Ainsworth]

It seems that DJI made a unit that is more capable than they expected and which was taken up eagerly by the common folk. This has led to a big problem with things such as restricted/unsafe/private areas that were out of reach before.
Also the increase in incidents around airports etc has led to pressure from the Gov to pull this back.
Also many users attitudes of I can fly anywhere I want at any time may have been a challenge accepted by DJI.
DJI is a Chinese company and therefore owned by China which is fully prepared to deal with problems as they see fit.

 

[flyNfrank]

I concur, my legal analysis
Does anyone can find post with link to screenshot DJI legal stating upgrade optional and that suasne

It is one thing to impose whatever draconian rules they wish on brand new Mavic's being sold, pre-activation. But to require or otherwise force a re-activation and update/etc retroactively on old units already sold and activated and flying or else face having a severely locked down and handicapped Mavic will most definitely expose DJI to the possibility of a class action.

I'm not so sure the stuff you mention about dji will be at the level you have been suggesting. We have privacy laws that the government pays attention to.
When a company begins forcing people to do things, that company opens itself up to becoming responsible for a great deal of things. People have the right to use their property how they see fit, even if it breaks the law.

I run a app on my android devices called OS Monitor. It shows everything any of your apps are doing in your device. Both the GO and GO4 apps are importing & exporting files on a regular basis. They move your data around to 4-5 different servers in different regions in the US.

 

[adiru]

I'm not so sure the stuff you mention about dji will be at the level you have been suggesting. We have privacy laws that the government pays attention to.
When a company begins forcing people to do things, that company opens itself up to becoming responsible for a great deal of things. People have the right to use their property how they see fit, even if it breaks the law.

I run a app on my android devices called OS Monitor. It shows everything any of your apps are doing in your device. Both the GO and GO4 apps are importing & exporting files on a regular basis. They move your data around to 4-5 different servers in different regions in the US.

Have you encountered any third party apps like Litchi doing the same?

 

[TroutboyNZ]

My issue is not with the NFZ but rather forcing you to use software that has issues on BOTH the Go4 app and the Mavic, I would be more than happy to go through this new process IF the app worked as it should, essentially for many people, if nothing major changes in these updates, we will have a crippled Mavic... not fit for purpose. There are thousands of Mavic owners running older firmware and app versions due to Dji's inability to correct shoddy programming, especially around Android - fix this first!

 

[flyNfrank]

Have you encountered any third party apps like Litchi doing the same?

No other UAS apps of any kind ever appear in the list. The DJI GO & GO4 apps run on there non-stop. I have not even enabled my GO app since taking delivery of my Mavic Pro late last year.