Congress members warn that DJI drones 'register facial recognition data even when the system is off, and upload information to cloud storage'

[Wreckhunter]

In a letter written to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, House Committee on Homeland Security Chair Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) and House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to declassify certain information pertaining to the national security threats posed by DJI drones. They write, 'Further, the bulletin warned that DJI-established applications, when used with their UAS hardware, collect GPS locations and photographs taken by the device, register facial recognition data even when the system is off, and upload information to cloud storage located in Taiwan and Hong Kong, to which our foremost adversary, the Chinese Communist Party, almost certainly has access.'

Are they serious? Are they saying that my Mavic 2, which I store in its case, without its battery, still collects data and talks to the mothership?

https://homeland.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-06-18-Green-Rodgers-to-CISA-DOE-re-PRC-Made-Drones.pdf

Yup the same way my Autel and DJI drone in their respective cases without batteries in them are also transmitting data to the chinese

 

[moldorf]

I'm pretty sure the gold crown in my 3rd Molar is transmitting. Can Lauren Boebert be my dentist?

 

[EssenYVR]

That's fine, I hope everyone has as much passion about a bigger threat "voter suppression" and please express those thoughts here if you have them; thanks.

All I can tell you is that we Canadians think that your system in which partisans are in charge of elections, both in terms of drawing the districts and running the actual voting, is nuts. See Elections Canada for an example that tries its best to remove politics from the process.

Yup the same way my Autel and DJI drone in their respective cases without batteries in them are also transmitting data to the chinese

They clearly can't do anything without batteries - but see my post above. Their use of the term "off" may not mean "powered off" but rather "not recording". It's hard to be sure exactly what they're talking about without tracking down the source.

 

[Prop Wash]

I find it strange that you guys live in a “democracy “ with way more than half the population choosing not to vote. Would the nation be different if you had +90% of population voting?

I live here and I agree with you! More people should be voting.

^Sounds like a lot of passion regarding "voter disengagement" which I prefer to call it voter apathy or voter fatigue or maybe even voter alienation which is likely a more accurate picture which is truly happening. That's fine, I hope everyone has as much passion about a bigger threat "voter suppression" and please express those thoughts here if you have them; thanks.

At the same time, I also believe people are apathetic/fatigued. Some may feel it's the same ol', same ol'. For the longest time, it's been the Democratic and Republican candidates on the top of the ballot with little-to-no chance of any other party candidate even coming close to winning. The Ds and Rs raise stupid amounts of money for their campaigns allowing them to flood our TVs, Radios, the internet, and social media with "that guy's the worst" ads w/very little about themselves and the issues. Nothing seems to change. And sometimes, people end up voting for the "lesser of two evils."

 

[DARKSeifer]

The wealthiest dominate both the media and the politicians, so there isn't anything to vote but the flavor of the whip, and even then, the vote gets so diluted that it becomes homeopathic. You can vote with your family, with your HOA, in your town (up to 5K inhabitants or so), but from there on is completely pointless.

Focus on the few little things you can control rather than all the things you can't. Regarding drones, remember that civil disobedience is always an option, but you need to play it smart (no RID, plan the flights, don't get exposed, etc).

 

[MS Coast]

The wealthiest dominate both the media and the politicians, so there isn't anything to vote but the flavor of the whip, and even then, the vote gets so diluted that it becomes homeopathic. You can vote with your family, with your HOA, in your town (up to 5K inhabitants or so), but from there on is completely pointless.

Flavor of the whip?
Vote gets diluted? By what? Other votes? It's simple arithmetic - the one with the most votes wins.
The link between voting and homeopathy is frail.

Rationalize your non-participation if you like. You're abandoning your influence and increasing the decision making power of others.

Focus on the few little things you can control rather than all the things you can't. Regarding drones, remember that civil disobedience is always an option, but you need to play it smart (no RID, plan the flights, don't get exposed, etc).

Civil disobedience on an individual scale has seldom accomplished anything more than publicity. "Tank man" in Tiananmen Square is famous because of the photo, but nothing substantive was accomplished. Gandhi rid India of British rule and the U.S. civil rights movement resulted in landmark legislation only with the participation of multitudes.

 

[Wreckhunter]

If you don't vote, you forfeit your right to complain.

Registered voter here,so enough said.

 

[Wreckhunter]

These people have nothing else to do ,so they sit at their desks and fabricate more false claims.Then get together and agree on it.It really is comical.

Just found out today that Autel Robotics was just added to the blacklist with DJI article can be found on Dronexl.This just keeps on getting better.Before this is done all chinese made drones will be on the blacklist

 

[mavic3usa]

Just found out today that Autel Robotics was just added to the blacklist with DJI article can be found on Dronexl.This just keeps on getting better.Before this is done all chinese made drones will be on the blacklist

not at all surprised

 

[moldorf]

Just found out today that Autel Robotics was just added to the blacklist with DJI article can be found on Dronexl.This just keeps on getting better.Before this is done all chinese made drones will be on the blacklist

Skydio working hard!

 

[Wreckhunter]

Skydio working hard!

The mouths of the individuals at Skydio seem to be working hard and that would be about it.

 

[Droning on and on...]

As much as Skydio has to do with all this and as sleazy as I think their lobbying has been, they do (seriously) have one thing going for them: They're a 100% US company.

Rather than ban Chinese drones, the US government should be pouring a boatload of grants and subsidies into Skydio to build up a viable US and international competitor, and in classified, top secret work produce the military drone tech that we so badly need a superior domestic source for.

This is exactly the sort of scenario we've done this for in the past. A strong commercial competitor for DJI would be a side benefit.

While the Chinese are good, my bet is we can still out-engineer them.

 

[Wreckhunter]

As much as Skydio has to do with all this and as sleazy as I think their lobbying has been, they do (seriously) have one thing going for them: They're a 100% US company.

Rather than ban Chinese drones, the US government should be pouring a boatload of grants and subsidies into Skydio to build up a viable US and international competitor, and in classified, top secret work produce the military drone tech that we so badly need a superior domestic source for.

This is exactly the sort of scenario we've done this for in the past. A strong commercial competitor for DJI would be a side benefit.

While the Chinese are good, my bet is we can still out-engineer them.

100% US is good, but no competing products,as far as out-engineering and I will use dJI as an example,fat chance,The US had many chances to compete and repeatedly failed to do so.And even if they could try to compete or better the chinese their prices are way way out of line.Who would want Skydio junk ,especially with a CEO that can't tell the truth.

 

[moldorf]

While the Chinese are good, my bet is we can still out-engineer them.

what makes you think that?

USA companies could have out-engineered the Chinese on drones for the last 15 years but they didn't. Nobody really tried. They ceded the retail and recreational market to DJI and Autel

if Chinese drones are banned, where is the incentive for American companies to out-engineer Chinese drones in a protected market? I don't see any incentive at all. I see some incentive to rush some cheap, lower-tech products to the market to test it. But I'd think it would be at least 10 years or never that any American manufacturer would match the quality and function of the Mavis 3 or Mini 4

 

[mavic3usa]

what makes you think that?

USA companies could have out-engineered the Chinese on drones for the last 15 years but they didn't. Nobody really tried. They ceded the retail and recreational market to DJI and Autel

if Chinese drones are banned, where is the incentive for American companies to out-engineer Chinese drones is a protected market? I don't see any incentive at all. I see some incentive to rush some cheap, lower-tech products to the market to test it. But I'd think it would be at least 10 years or never that any American manufacturer would match the quality and function of the Mavis 3 or Mini 4

I'm afraid I have to agree with this, too. Americans are smart and had a lot of hope and vision earlier this century but I'm not so sure anymore. When we act, it's amazing. Take Apple Vision Pro for example. The finest piece of technology I've ever seen in my lifetime.

But these are few and far in between these days and I don't know why but it seems like we hit a roadblock, maybe something like writer's block. If the government sweeps the slate clean, I really doubt Americans will swoop in and innovate with consumer drones. I love these drones but the bottom line, most others don't.

 

[anotherlab]

what makes you think that?

USA companies could have out-engineered the Chinese on drones for the last 15 years but they didn't. Nobody really tried. They ceded the retail and recreational market to DJI and Autel

if Chinese drones are banned, where is the incentive for American companies to out-engineer Chinese drones is a protected market? I don't see any incentive at all. I see some incentive to rush some cheap, lower-tech products to the market to test it. But I'd think it would be at least 10 years or never that any American manufacturer would match the quality and function of the Mavis 3 or Mini 4

It wouldn't take 10 years to match quality or function. An American-made drone can not be manufactured at the same price level as it can be made in China. DJI has the economies of scale and lower labor costs that can not be matched by companies manufacturing in the US.

If I was in upper management at GoPro, I would be strongly considering re-entering the cinematic drone marketplace.

 

[mavic3usa]

If I was in upper management at GoPro, I would be strongly considering re-entering the cinematic drone marketplace.

It wasn't that long ago that Karma flopped and even GoPro is probably still feeling the pain 8 years later. They can consider "re-entering" the market all they want but they'll never get anyone smart to come over and work for them (on drones) after that first fiasco; fool me once....that's the problem. Who would do that? Yeah, let's go work for GoPro and make a "drone" now that DJI is gone....

 

[Wreckhunter]

It wouldn't take 10 years to match quality or function. An American-made drone can not be manufactured at the same price level as it can be made in China. DJI has the economies of scale and lower labor costs that can not be matched by companies manufacturing in the US.

If I was in upper management at GoPro, I would be strongly considering re-entering the cinematic drone marketplace.

If they can't match the price point then it is a lost battle already with no hope in sight.No wonder there are few US drone companies,and I am leaving
garbage Skydio out of that mix.

 

[Wreckhunter]

If they can't match the price point then it is a lost battle already with no hope in sight.No wonder there are few US drone companies,and I am leaving
garbage Skydio out of that mix.

Besides no one in congress would have any kind of common sense to even mention helping out with funding for american companies that could start building american made consumer,notice I said drones for the consumer of equal photographic quality to DJI.But no instead they have to keep funding
a place with money they do not have to try and win a war that may not happen in the end anyway.

 

[cmbennett01]

Well, FWIW I'm not so ready to completely write off the Congresscritters as buffoons based on that statement.

While I don't think there is anything to this, I can't draw that conclusion from the paragraph in the OP. I don't know what they're referring to as, "the system", and apparently there's some classified Intel about this that was put together by the Intel community, not the Reps. They've been shown classified information that's causing them to believe something nefarious is going on.

Like I said, I'm highly skeptical. But there's a lot I don't know. The statements above are deliberately general and abstract, because the Intel has not been declassified. The pols apparently are trying to get it declassified to make their case.

It's rather surprising that so many here, with no clearance or access to anything that's driving this issue, are so sure about what they don't know.

I think they have something to do with it.Too bad,well maybe not really they will never be able to compete with DJI and their technology.
In other words DJI has forgotten more in the Tech.department than Skydio will ever know.

It has a lot to do with one Joe Bartlet, National Security Advisor to Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, and when he's not writing legislation for her guess where he works.

But skydio does in fact build good high-end equipment for defense and law enforcement. What they don't do is produce quality consumer drones and they have no intention of doing so. It's not really about consumer drones. What it's about is the small rural fire departments and emergency responders buying DJI because it's what they can afford. Skydio doesn't want to compete for that market so instead they just send Mr. Joe Bartlet to congress to write legislation for them to ban the competition.