Arkansas the Latest State to Implement DJI Drone Ban

[EssenYVR]

Again, nope. Absolutely zero evidence exists. Not "much", but "all" politics.

I'll do everything in my power to stop it. Because it will reek havoc with my industry.

Yep, that's exactly what politics is. Best of luck to you, I fear it will be an uphill battle.

Isn't that exactly how Radio Control works?

Exactly, and there's the potential for more capability there than you might suspect.

 

[Vic Moss]

Isn't that exactly how Radio Control works?

Command and Control (C2) links are encrypted. It's not a "radio broadcast".

 

[EssenYVR]

Lest anyone think that drones are the only thing from China falling under suspicion:

Chinese cranes in B.C. ports raise concerns after U.S. security probe
U.S. officials allege they found undisclosed communications components, including cellular modems, on cranes exported by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company (ZPMC) to U.S. ports.

The cybersecurity concerns were serious enough to warrant public disclosure and a special directive from the White House last month, to begin manufacturing such cranes in America.

While I'm at it:

Command and Control (C2) links are encrypted. It's not a "radio broadcast".

Of course they're a "radio broadcast", if they weren't then the drone would not be able to receive the radio signal from the controller. And naturally DJI has the encryption keys, so if one is worried that DJI might be told to do something nefarious by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) then the fact that the signals are encrypted is not going to be of any solace.

To reiterate, I'm not suggesting that DJI is doing anything wrong, but I believe there are valid reasons to be at least a bit cautious about western governments letting themselves become dependent on technology controlled by the CCP.

 

[MARK (LI)]

I am always amazed at the technology that has gone into the dji drones and how well it seems that everything has been thought out....when people ask me about drones, and different questions are asked about how certain tasks are carried out, those people can't believe when I tell them...Oh the drone has the ability to do this or that with a little bit of settings adjustments.....they have thought of stuff that shows how much went into the development...now IF the government pushes further, possibly this will encourage companies in the US..or other friendly Countries to get serious about being in the Drone business.....so, although it seems distasteful to us right now....it could mean more competition, better drones...and possibly lower prices in the future ( The glass is half full)

Also, Greg from @pilotinstitute touched on some recent legislation in his weekly update yesterday

 

[AMann]

Well, all drones do transmit video and other telemetry intended for the pilot to see on their controllers using frequencies that easily propagate out to space. So that anyone with a multi-billion dollar satellite passing over me could, theoretically, receive my live video feed and track my exact position. They wouldn’t be that interested in my flights but I could see it being bad for a military op or something like that. As far as for civil authority use (fire, law enforcement, S&R units), I don’t think they’re using drones on anything strategically important that a spy satellite could image as well either. It’s obviously a economically based ban and those politicians who are supporting it should be voted out for what they are doing.

 

[LandWaterSky]

Well, all drones do transmit video and other telemetry intended for the pilot to see on their controllers using frequencies that easily propagate out to space. So that anyone with a multi-billion dollar satellite passing over me could, theoretically, receive my live video feed and track my exact position. They wouldn’t be that interested in my flights but I could see it being bad for a military op or something like that. As far as for civil authority use (fire, law enforcement, S&R units), I don’t think they’re using drones on anything strategically important that a spy satellite could image as well either. It’s obviously a economically based ban and those politicians who are supporting it should be voted out for what they are doing.

Well said.

 

[mavic3usa]

That guy is a bit of an alarmist to say the least. I don't know much about this but here's my limited understanding. If there is suddenly a war that broke out between the US and China, the US government is saying they trust Apple and take their word for it the iPhones won't be used against this country. They believe Apple has everything under control and has been sharing everything with the government to reassure them. When DJI is asked, the CCP won't even return the phone call. Does that help point out the difference between the Apple iPhone and the DJI drone? I'm exaggerating so you can get the point but sometimes you have to look at more than just hardware capabilities.

 

[LandWaterSky]

My apologies for going off topic.

 

[tstr14]

I wrap my drones in multiple layers of tinfoil. It cuts down the flight distance to about 12 feet but at least the Chinese can't see what I doing.