Chinese drones a security risk

[Wozza]

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald: Chinese drones swarming Australian skies raises security concerns

It's about commercial drones but no-one is going to differentiate between security services using one and me flying mine around a local park. And this article appeared a week after another that reported a Mavic Air 2 was found in a side street alongside a large jail in Sydney. It had prescription drugs attached.

How is Joe Public going to view drones after reading this stuff? I'm either spying for the Chinese or smuggling drugs!

 

[Thomas B]

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald: Chinese drones swarming Australian skies raises security concerns

It's about commercial drones but no-one is going to differentiate between security services using one and me flying mine around a local park. And this article appeared a week after another that reported a Mavic Air 2 was found in a side street alongside a large jail in Sydney. It had prescription drugs attached.

How is Joe Public going to view drones after reading this stuff? I'm either spying for the Chinese or smuggling drugs!

Plenty of threads on this topic already and there is a formal response on the DJI website.
As far as cargo... whatever an owner loads... maybe they’ll have to restrict boats, private passenger aircraft and commercial aircraft. Drones don’t commit crimes. Drone pilots do.

 

[Tentoes]

Just something journalists and politicians can say to get attention.

 

[lannes]

Knowing the governement , they probably raise the sales tax and duty on drone to make them too expensive to buy

 

[Peter Hughes]

I’m afraid Australia is wayyyyyy behind the US with Chinese paranoia. IF they’re lucky they’ll stay that way!

 

[RuudF]

Well, I can imagine why people are worried about the spying for the Chinese.

Indeed the DJI app sends a very great amount of data regarding every flight back to DJI.
This has nothing to do with conspiracy thinking, but it is a fact.
We don't know what DJI, or the Chinese government for that matter, can do (is doing) with the data.

I make sure the phone I use with my controller is in Fly of airplane mode so there is no Internet connection during the start up of the app.

I am never bothered by the app for a Software update either, because of this.
So also no unnecessary restrictions.

Ruudf

 

[bushie]

Well, I can imagine why people are worried about the spying for the Chinese.

Indeed the DJI app sends a very great amount of data regarding every flight back to DJI.

That is just not true. Sure you can request it to do so but you can fly with no external conection if you are paranoid. Personally I can think of nothing the Chinese would want to know about me, as I worked on a project in Africa for a Chinese company with the PLA providing security I figure they already know more about me than I know about my self.

 

[Drone Views Media]

Well, I can imagine why people are worried about the spying for the Chinese.

Indeed the DJI app sends a very great amount of data regarding every flight back to DJI.
This has nothing to do with conspiracy thinking, but it is a fact.
We don't know what DJI, or the Chinese government for that matter, can do (is doing) with the data.

I make sure the phone I use with my controller is in Fly of airplane mode so there is no Internet connection during the start up of the app.

I am never bothered by the app for a Software update either, because of this.
So also no unnecessary restrictions.

Ruudf

To be honest, I have spent the best part of a decade working in cyber security; I'm not even slightly concerned about this.

 

[Deleted Member 997]

That is just not true. Sure you can request it to do so but you can fly with no external conection if you are paranoid. Personally I can think of nothing the Chinese would want to know about me, as I worked on a project in Africa for a Chinese company with the PLA providing security I figure they already know more about me than I know about my self.

Lol, your the reason why we have counter terrorism units

 

[Heindrich1988]

I am a British citizen currently living in China. Until a few weeks ago I worked in Beijing at a major state-owned company. I can't say for sure what the Chinese military, intelligence apparatus and senior politicians are thinking, but from meeting fairly senior people at these companies that are supposedly controlled by the Chinese government... let's just say that their primary concern is making money.

Take for example the "debt trap diplomacy" the Western media keeps banging on about. I've been in meetings where these issues were discussed. There is certainly no grand strategy to bankrupt poor countries to force political concessions. The Chinese companies that poured billions into infrastructure projects are absolutely hoping to get their investment repaid. I repeat, they may have communist party oversight, but they are primarily businesses, and like everywhere else, businessmen want to make profit! People defaulting on their debts is not good for business!

American Sinophobia is rather sad and pathetic to be honest. Chinese people just want to get filthy rich and loved Americans until American politicians abandoned all pretense of treating China with any fairness or respect. Especially recently with the pandemic. Having lived in the UK for most of my life, the irony is that culturally, China is probably closer to the US than Western Europe. There is no ideology conflict like in the Cold War with the USSR. It is simply American insecurity driving the world into a new Cold War.

 

[RuudF]

I am a British citizen currently living in China. Until a few weeks ago I worked in Beijing at a major state-owned company. I can't say for sure what the Chinese military, intelligence apparatus and senior politicians are thinking, but from meeting fairly senior people at these companies that are supposedly controlled by the Chinese government... let's just say that their primary concern is making money.

Take for example the "debt trap diplomacy" the Western media keeps banging on about. I've been in meetings where these issues were discussed. There is certainly no grand strategy to bankrupt poor countries to force political concessions. The Chinese companies that poured billions into infrastructure projects are absolutely hoping to get their investment repaid. I repeat, they may have communist party oversight, but they are primarily businesses, and like everywhere else, businessmen want to make profit! People defaulting on their debts is not good for business!

American Sinophobia is rather sad and pathetic to be honest. Chinese people just want to get filthy rich and loved Americans until American politicians abandoned all pretense of treating China with any fairness or respect. Especially recently with the pandemic. Having lived in the UK for most of my life, the irony is that culturally, China is probably closer to the US than Western Europe. There is no ideology conflict like in the Cold War with the USSR. It is simply American insecurity driving the world into a new Cold War.

So, it is not true that the DJI app sends a lot of data during your flight to DJI?

Then explain me this: how is it possible that when you crash your drone and you are trying to claim warranty because you can't explain why you crashed.
DJI can exactly verify you flight and cause of an incident including in what positions your controller sticks were at that time?

Like I said they can see a lot more over your shoulder than you think.

And also very important: I am not an American, nor am I influenced by their path of thought!

 

[lookout]

So, it is not true that the DJI app sends a lot of data during your flight to DJI?

Then explain me this: how is it possible that when you crash your drone and you are trying to claim warranty because you can't explain why you crashed.
DJI can exactly verify you flight and cause of an incident including in what positions your controller sticks were at that time?

Like I said they can see a lot more over your shoulder than you think.

And also very important: I am not an American, nor am I influenced by their path of thought!

What a way to prove a warranty claim.

It's recording the flight even if you don't use the go app.

The flight logs just aren't automatically transferred over to the app if you don't use the app.

Your videos and pictures are saved and can be retrieved on the removable sd card. But the flight records are on the internal memory/sd card.

But if you take it in for repair, they have access to all the flight records on the internal memory/sd card.

So the live leak is probably in the go app.

 

[Oldmanoftheworld]

I am a British citizen currently living in China. Until a few weeks ago I worked in Beijing at a major state-owned company. I can't say for sure what the Chinese military, intelligence apparatus and senior politicians are thinking, but from meeting fairly senior people at these companies that are supposedly controlled by the Chinese government... let's just say that their primary concern is making money.

Take for example the "debt trap diplomacy" the Western media keeps banging on about. I've been in meetings where these issues were discussed. There is certainly no grand strategy to bankrupt poor countries to force political concessions. The Chinese companies that poured billions into infrastructure projects are absolutely hoping to get their investment repaid. I repeat, they may have communist party oversight, but they are primarily businesses, and like everywhere else, businessmen want to make profit! People defaulting on their debts is not good for business!

American Sinophobia is rather sad and pathetic to be honest. Chinese people just want to get filthy rich and loved Americans until American politicians abandoned all pretense of treating China with any fairness or respect. Especially recently with the pandemic. Having lived in the UK for most of my life, the irony is that culturally, China is probably closer to the US than Western Europe. There is no ideology conflict like in the Cold War with the USSR. It is simply American insecurity driving the world into a new Cold War.

Tell that to the people of Hong Kong, tell that to the people who are having there territorial waters claimed by China.

 

[Heindrich1988]

Tell that to the people of Hong Kong, tell that to the people who are having there territorial waters claimed by China.

I have plenty to say about Hong Kong, but this is not a politics forum. So I will refrain from commenting any further. In my experience, engaging in political debate online rarely ends well. And this is not the place for it in any case.

 

[Otisangb]

American Sinophobia is rather sad and pathetic to be honest. Chinese people just want to get filthy rich and loved Americans until American politicians abandoned all pretense of treating China with any fairness or respect. Especially recently with the pandemic. Having lived in the UK for most of my life, the irony is that culturally, China is probably closer to the US than Western Europe. There is no ideology conflict like in the Cold War with the USSR. It is simply American insecurity driving the world into a new Cold War.

Now thats a bit harsh, we love the noodles and everyone loves kung fu panda.

 

[xunhui]

I am a British citizen currently living in China. Until a few weeks ago I worked in Beijing at a major state-owned company. I can't say for sure what the Chinese military, intelligence apparatus and senior politicians are thinking, but from meeting fairly senior people at these companies that are supposedly controlled by the Chinese government... let's just say that their primary concern is making money.

Take for example the "debt trap diplomacy" the Western media keeps banging on about. I've been in meetings where these issues were discussed. There is certainly no grand strategy to bankrupt poor countries to force political concessions. The Chinese companies that poured billions into infrastructure projects are absolutely hoping to get their investment repaid. I repeat, they may have communist party oversight, but they are primarily businesses, and like everywhere else, businessmen want to make profit! People defaulting on their debts is not good for business!

American Sinophobia is rather sad and pathetic to be honest. Chinese people just want to get filthy rich and loved Americans until American politicians abandoned all pretense of treating China with any fairness or respect. Especially recently with the pandemic. Having lived in the UK for most of my life, the irony is that culturally, China is probably closer to the US than Western Europe. There is no ideology conflict like in the Cold War with the USSR. It is simply American insecurity driving the world into a new Cold War.

Everyone has an opinion. ?

 

[bushie]

I am a British citizen currently living in China. Until a few weeks ago I worked in Beijing at a major state-owned company. I can't say for sure what the Chinese military, intelligence apparatus and senior politicians are thinking, but from meeting fairly senior people at these companies that are supposedly controlled by the Chinese government... let's just say that their primary concern is making money.

Take for example the "debt trap diplomacy" the Western media keeps banging on about. I've been in meetings where these issues were discussed. There is certainly no grand strategy to bankrupt poor countries to force political concessions. The Chinese companies that poured billions into infrastructure projects are absolutely hoping to get their investment repaid. I repeat, they may have communist party oversight, but they are primarily businesses, and like everywhere else, businessmen want to make profit! People defaulting on their debts is not good for business!

American Sinophobia is rather sad and pathetic to be honest. Chinese people just want to get filthy rich and loved Americans until American politicians abandoned all pretense of treating China with any fairness or respect. Especially recently with the pandemic. Having lived in the UK for most of my life, the irony is that culturally, China is probably closer to the US than Western Europe. There is no ideology conflict like in the Cold War with the USSR. It is simply American insecurity driving the world into a new Cold War.

My experience is similar to yours in that I have spent time working in China for large companies there as clients. I saw no political activity,

 

[xunhui]

My experience is similar to yours in that I have spent time working in China for large companies there as clients. I saw no political activity,

So both of you work for large Western companies, nice. You stay were you are told to stay and do as you are told to do our your M or Z visa will be revoked. Yes, you may freely travel in the city you are working in. To say that China does not collect data is absolutely idiotic. To say that our drones are "currently" a security threat is also idiotic. But things change... I love China and it's people very much and highly respect them. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is something very, very different.

It's gotten off topic and should be stopped now. Or I'll be quiet happy to discuss political activity regarding China and both of your viewpoints.

 

[bushie]

So both of you work for large Western companies, nice. You stay were you are told to stay and do as you are told to do our your M or Z visa will be revoked. Yes, you may freely travel in the city you are working in. To say that China does not collect data is absolutely idiotic. To say that our drones are "currently" a security threat is also idiotic. But things change... I love China and it's people very much and highly respect them. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is something very, very different.

It's gotten off topic and should be stopped now. Or I'll be quiet happy to discuss political activity regarding China and both of your viewpoints.

My last trip to China was a couple of years ago, on holidays (I am now retired) Would I travel there today? Probably not, but China has changed a lot in the last couple of years. This is relevant to me as my Brother in Law lives in the far east of Russia and the easiest way to get there (pre Covid) was via Beijing. The Australian government advices not to travel to China

 

[sigi.stiemer]

I am Canadian and flying the drone only where permitted according to Drone site selection tool | National Research Council Canada. I don't think that I am of any interest or importance to any other agency to be spied upon. There is no need to care.