do our drones share flight data with DJI?

[motopokep]

the DJI Go4 records flight statistics, which are found under settings. if a pilot flies a drone beyond VSOL, above 400' AGL, in NFZ's, etc., is DJI able to see that data? What if the tablet is never connected to the internet, is it safe to assume DJI and no one else will see it? How do you clear flight data in DJI Go4? Is DJI able to see flight statistics even if you don't use any of the DJI fly apps? It's like having your car transmit your speed to the police department.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

As far as I know only if you sync your logs with them. But you might want to look into the T&C of Airdata to see whether they share logs with DJI.
As an aside, if you are a member of the DJI forum your flight distance ticks up by synced logs only.
No internet connect = no syncing, besides, syncing can be switched off.
You can delete flight logs from your phone as you choose, I do not know about the smart controllers. Deleting the flight logs deletes their data but I would move the logs to storage, external, rather than deleting them entirely.
However there is a DAT flight log recorded on the drone itself that you can not delete but there is limited space available for recording them so 'old' logs are over written. The drone can not transmit them to DJI on its own, it has no direct connection to the internet. And even if you download those logs via USB connection to a computer etc. you need not send them to DJI.

 

[motopokep]

As far as I know only if you sync your logs with them. But you might want to look into the T&C of Airdata to see whether they share logs with DJI.
As an aside, if you are a member of the DJI forum your flight distance ticks up by synced logs only.
No internet connect = no syncing, besides, syncing can be switched off.
You can delete flight logs from your phone as you choose, I do not know about the smart controllers. Deleting the flight logs deletes their data but I would move the logs to storage, external, rather than deleting them entirely.
However there is a DAT flight log recorded on the drone itself that you can not delete but there is limited space available for recording them so 'old' logs are over written. The drone can not transmit them to DJI on its own, it has no direct connection to the internet. And even if you download those logs via USB connection to a computer etc. you need not send them to DJI.

thank you for the detailed response. how do you switch off synching?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I think by default it is off but if you go to the "me" section on the front page of the app and then into the flight records section there's something up at the top of the page in the settings gear wheel. I don't want to mess with it, but if you are using an RC1A controller and have DAT logs on a phone screen device I think you are NOT syncing. From memory syncing removes DATs from a phone, if you have an RTC1B controller they do not create DATs on the phone.
I do not use the 'phone' as a phone and. its wifi is generally switched off which prevents any possible connection.

 

[Skyryder]

I think there are also flight logs that cannot be erased stored on a chip of the drone itself. If you dig deep into the app, the top layer can be deleted but there is another set I have found that according to what I read cannot be deleted.

That's probably what they use in case you crash your drone doing something illegal and police recover it. Eventually they always find out who the owner is even if they have no markings on it, even if they have a fake DJI account to activate it.

 

[Meta4]

That's probably what they use in case you crash your drone doing something illegal and police recover it. Eventually they always find out who the owner is even if they have no markings on it, even if they have a fake DJI account to activate it.

It's what DJI use for crash data analysis (if the wreckage can be retrieved), to determine whether it's a warranty case or not..

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Is DJI able to see flight statistics even if you don't use any of the DJI fly apps? It's like having your car transmit your speed to the police department.

Not quite the same, DJI is not your locations (which is not in your profile) airspace authority, and you can be sure that DJI don’t care where or how you fly your drone.

 

[Steve Wells]

Just don’t forget this is a Chinese company (read all the TikTok news recently? also a Chinese company). They regard privacy very differently that is expected in the western world. I don’t want to by chicken little but I’ve had an opportunity more than once to work with Chinese companies in my industry and they are always seeing to want to try to have some back doors added.

Personaly I’d assume your DJI ap is releasing your data. Maybe not formally to the western governments directly but it could come back to bite you in some crazy ways. I’ll just throw a crazy example…Lets say you flew above well 400 AGL and this data made its way to some bad foreign actors and they threaten to turn you in to the FAA if you don’t agree to take some documents from your place of business.

So in a nutshell behave as if your data has been disclosed and your privacy is already compromised. It probably already has by aps you have other than DJI.

 

[Meta4]

I’ll just throw a crazy example…

Yes ... that example was a crazy

 

[Starz]

Is crazy sounds better.

 

[edcMavicPilots]

Just don’t forget this is a Chinese company (read all the TikTok news recently? also a Chinese company). They regard privacy very differently that is expected in the western world. I don’t want to by chicken little but I’ve had an opportunity more than once to work with Chinese companies in my industry and they are always seeing to want to try to have some back doors added.

Personaly I’d assume your DJI ap is releasing your data. Maybe not formally to the western governments directly but it could come back to bite you in some crazy ways. I’ll just throw a crazy example…Lets say you flew above well 400 AGL and this data made its way to some bad foreign actors and they threaten to turn you in to the FAA if you don’t agree to take some documents from your place of business.

So in a nutshell behave as if your data has been disclosed and your privacy is already compromised. It probably already has by aps you have other than DJI.

Ah the dreaded drone as a honey pot ploy.