After TikTok ban passage, the prospect of a DJI ban is looking more likely

[rickmurray1989]

Given that Congress didn't care about ticking off 180 million TikTok photos when they enacted the ban this week, I am even more concerned about the probably forthcoming grounding of my fleet of aircraft. I am reading everything that I can about the issue, but I don't see any way in which most of us will be able to operate going forward. No one is listening to the facts of how DJI drones operate - instead, they are jumping on the protectionist bandwagon during an election year. Folks on this forum have accused me of panicking because of my earlier post about the potential ban. However, I am not panicking... I am just trying to plan for the future. I don't know about most of you, but I have a sizable investment in my DJI fleet, and I cannot afford to replace the aircraft with viable alternatives.

I have reached out to my congressional representatives on several occasions but they do not seem to care. After all, if they don't mind alienating TikTok users, why should they care about offending a few thousand drone operators and shutting down their aerial businesses?

 

[msinger]

I don't know about most of you, but I have a sizable investment in my DJI fleet, and I cannot afford to replace the aircraft with viable alternatives.

If you're convinced the ban is coming, maybe sell your entire DJI fleet now while it's still worth something?

 

[rickmurray1989]

If you're convinced the ban is coming, maybe sell your entire DJI fleet now while it's still worth something?

I have thought about that. However, I have a sense of ethics that prevents me from transferring my potential misfortune to someone else.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Given that Congress didn't care about ticking off 180 million TikTok photos when they enacted the ban this week, I am even more concerned about the probably forthcoming grounding of my fleet of aircraft. I am reading everything that I can about the issue, but I don't see any way in which most of us will be able to operate going forward. No one is listening to the facts of how DJI drones operate - instead, they are jumping on the protectionist bandwagon during an election year. Folks on this forum have accused me of panicking because of my earlier post about the potential ban. However, I am not panicking... I am just trying to plan for the future. I don't know about most of you, but I have a sizable investment in my DJI fleet, and I cannot afford to replace the aircraft with viable alternatives.

I have reached out to my congressional representatives on several occasions but they do not seem to care. After all, if they don't mind alienating TikTok users, why should they care about offending a few thousand drone operators and shutting down their aerial businesses?

I've been watching this situation unfold from the other side of the Atlantic and as soon as I read of the official prohibition of tiktok (which genuinely raised my eyebrows) the same thought went through my head: how long before American DJI users hit the same brick wall?

 

[MARK (LI)]

You are panicking...tik tok is a much larger, therefor a much more influential entity...and a lot of its influence is in a negative manner...if it happens ...it happens

 

[Starz]

Back to land based cameras is an option. Thats what was primarily used prior to these fly things. There are other hobbies that we can go back to. RC boats were fun.
Whenever the government gets involved in our private affairs, generally not fun.

 

[msinger]

I have thought about that. However, I have a sense of ethics that prevents me from transferring my potential misfortune to someone else.

That's an easy one to overcome. When you list your drones for sale (wherever you decide to sell them), disclose the reason you're selling them (because you fear DJI is going to be banned). There's a huge market of people who don't have the same fears as you, so it'll be a win-win situation for sure.

 

[mavic3usa]

I wouldnt say the Tik Tok ban is an easy decision. It became "easy" when it was attached to another aid bill that needed to passed. Likely wouldn't pass all by itself. This is what *could* happen with DJI but we don't know for sure. Tik Tok is given a choice, they can sell and the ban is lifted. They have one year to decide and that also means there's one year to figure out something else depending on who becomes POTUS. DJI won't be given a year to sell because DJI won't sell (to American investors). But I do believe there will be longer than one year for the ban to go into effect; more like 3 or 4.

Standalone DJI ban won't pass. Attach it to another important bill and it just might slip thru. This is why the effort needs a judicial approach, not a legislative approach. I think the focus on DJI assets already deployed is misguided. In reality, the problem is companies, businesses, agencies, and employees who cannot invest and grown and train in DJI products or other Chinese products knowing this is hanging over their head. If you are already deep in DJI, milk it while you can. If you have $25m ready to park it somewhere, I think you know where *not* to go. Only a fool would start up a commercial US-based drone delivery business using DJI cargo drones, that's just insane. And if you think you can start a new drone company and base it in Texas and buy all your parts from China so you can assemble them in America....

 

[Droning on and on...]

I was dismissive of this to date, but I'm getting a bit concerned. I still think it's more likely not to happen than happen.

In any case, how, technically, can existing aircraft be grounded? Please, no speculation, just what anyone knows factually (i.e. O4 operates in the 2.4 and 5Mhz bands – those are known facts; speculating that O4 increased range by broadcasting in subspace would not be factual ).

I suppose the periodic required log in could do it with the current version of Fly... there are some ways around that, with their own problems.

 

[Meta4]

In any case, how, technically, can existing aircraft be grounded?

They can't.

 

[SkyeHigh]

This is just like McCarthyism all over again - a paranoid belief in a communist state’s espionage attempts - is nothing more than paranoia being spread by clueless politicians for their own means.

Just look at how Oppenheimer was being persecuted by lies made up by a politician to try and destroy him for personal reasons after being rebuffed by Oppi.

It’s extremely simple to monitor any ‘supposed’ secret surveillance being sent to China by any of DJI’s drones. But, of course, reality should never get in the way of politics and paranoia.

So what next? All those Chinese made Electric Vehicles filming secret locations, monitoring all radio channels and feeding it all back to China?

 

[Felix le Chat]

I was dismissive of this to date, but I'm getting a bit concerned. I still think it's more likely not to happen than happen.

In any case, how, technically, can existing aircraft be grounded? Please, no speculation, just what anyone knows factually (i.e. O4 operates in the 2.4 and 5Mhz bands – those are known facts; speculating that O4 increased range by broadcasting in subspace would not be factual ).

I suppose the periodic required log in could do it with the current version of Fly... there are some ways around that, with their own problems.

Taking the subject of 'grounding' a fleet slightly sideways, stopping electronic vehicles dead in their tracks isn't difficult OR unknown. About 9 months ago (in the UK) every owner of a Tesla woke up to find their eco-signaller car was a very expensive and totally static brick.... because there wasn't a server network it could connect to. Lucky for them: Tesla broke their own necks putting the situation right as quickly as they could.

Any device that requires a remote login for functionality is vulnerable and can be hobbled or bricked at the press of a button.

As a side-note, I'm sure the electronic 'surveillance' gathered by every Tesla while travelling could be just as compromising as anything gathered and allegedly transmitted by DJI drones.... and that data IS transmitted between the car and the parent company. The same with Google, with their cars, walkers and planes, which has to be the single most comprehensive data gathering engine worldwide. But no-one is blowing a fuse about that, are they?

As far back as 2020, DJI was jumping through a maze of Federal hoops to prove their drones weren't phoning home during every flight and even went as far as introducing "local mode" which locked the drone off from being able to transmit data to any kind of remote network.

 

[GregS]

Given that Congress didn't care about ticking off 180 million TikTok photos when they enacted the ban this week, I am even more concerned about the probably forthcoming grounding of my fleet of aircraft. I am reading everything that I can about the issue, but I don't see any way in which most of us will be able to operate going forward. No one is listening to the facts of how DJI drones operate - instead, they are jumping on the protectionist bandwagon during an election year. Folks on this forum have accused me of panicking because of my earlier post about the potential ban. However, I am not panicking... I am just trying to plan for the future. I don't know about most of you, but I have a sizable investment in my DJI fleet, and I cannot afford to replace the aircraft with viable alternatives.

I have reached out to my congressional representatives on several occasions but they do not seem to care. After all, if they don't mind alienating TikTok users, why should they care about offending a few thousand drone operators and shutting down their aerial businesses?

I think there is huge difference in the two companies. It has been proven that TikTok spreads false information against the US and trying to persuade the younger generation to eliminate Capitalism.
"No one" has proven a DJI drone can send data back to China. I have said that if they want to see what is going on here, pull up Google Earth and get a close view without looking at millions of photos we take with our drones.

 

[dart106]

Given that Congress didn't care about ticking off 180 million TikTok photos when they enacted the ban this week, I am even more concerned about the probably forthcoming grounding of my fleet of aircraft. I am reading everything that I can about the issue, but I don't see any way in which most of us will be able to operate going forward. No one is listening to the facts of how DJI drones operate - instead, they are jumping on the protectionist bandwagon during an election year. Folks on this forum have accused me of panicking because of my earlier post about the potential ban. However, I am not panicking... I am just trying to plan for the future. I don't know about most of you, but I have a sizable investment in my DJI fleet, and I cannot afford to replace the aircraft with viable alternatives.

I have reached out to my congressional representatives on several occasions but they do not seem to care. After all, if they don't mind alienating TikTok users, why should they care about offending a few thousand drone operators and shutting down their aerial businesses?

Because the the vast majority of our congressional “representatives” work for their own self gain instead of the people they supposedly work for, they don’t care about public input or facts, only the payoff.

 

[Sharpshooter]

That is a very reasoned perspective. There are so many things one could panic over at the moment, my DJI drones are way down the line. I wouldn't choose to toss them out, but they have paid for themselves many times over and will continue to while the debate rages, then, whatever happens, I'll adapt.

 

[Hemi]

Given that Congress didn't care about ticking off 180 million TikTok photos when they enacted the ban this week, I am even more concerned about the probably forthcoming grounding of my fleet of aircraft. I am reading everything that I can about the issue, but I don't see any way in which most of us will be able to operate going forward. No one is listening to the facts of how DJI drones operate - instead, they are jumping on the protectionist bandwagon during an election year. Folks on this forum have accused me of panicking because of my earlier post about the potential ban. However, I am not panicking... I am just trying to plan for the future. I don't know about most of you, but I have a sizable investment in my DJI fleet, and I cannot afford to replace the aircraft with viable alternatives.

I have reached out to my congressional representatives on several occasions but they do not seem to care. After all, if they don't mind alienating TikTok users, why should they care about offending a few thousand drone operators and shutting down their aerial businesses?

Correct me if I’m wrong, tictok is a platform where you can use it to persuade one’s thinking. To shape and mold one’s mind, even to nudge a whole society’s thinking. A platform that uses and abuses the ability to control human behavior and emotions. I agree our government should not have the ability to take and suppress a platform… my point is….. it’s a platform, a stage… where as DJI drones are not. Why would they come after dji drones because they are banning tictoc? You definitely seem to be way more invested news wise on congress and dji drones than I. I’m sure you could spend an entire day explaining.. point me in the right direction so I can educate, understand and be a voice in this situation
Thank you
Semper Fi

 

[howardK]

Are there any USA companies making high quality drones, comparable to the Mavic line? I fly an older M1P and love it but I am also pro USA if/when i can.

 

[Droning on and on...]

They can't.

What do you think about the periodic forced login?

 

[Droning on and on...]

I have hope and some confidence the Kevin and the hacker community will defeat any "grounding" if it happens, and given that this has been brewing for awhile may already have an idea or two in mind for what to do.

Also, we can't rule out DJI doing something defiant with a new firmware release and/or DJI Fly release allowing free flight. After all, the US would be shutting down their main business in the US, so they have little to lose.

For a variety of reasons I think the blowback from this by the citizenry will be much more powerful than the TikTok ban, even though it's a much smaller user base. It's not just the hobbyists and commercial 107 operators that are affected... This multiplies with all the services that suddenly, at least for a period of time, disappear.

There are a lot more people hiring drones than flying them.

 

[Jurgen]

Greg said it best at Pilot Institute... DJI is such a pressing threat that the ban won't take effect until 2030.

This isn't about security at all.