U.S. FCC commissioner wants new restrictions for DJI

[sar104]

Everyone seems so worried about DJI / China' but doing nothing to the Tech Behemoths like FB, Google, etc that collects tons of data daily to use as they wish.

DJI data collection certainly pales into insignificance compared to FB and Google. And while it may be quite true that data collected by DJI should be assumed to be accessible by the Chinese government, if the data are not useful then it's not much of a problem.

Huawei is very different. They were into network infrastructure where they like Big Tech in America can gobble up tons of data per day.

Correct - it was a false comparison.

Since even most 107 pilots are restricted from flying in sensitive areas; I'm not sure what they would expect DJI to capture that their Spy Satellites already do not. As for Rec Flyers - like said already - hope they enjoy all the nature scenery - that BTW they can find on FB, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and all forms of Social Media that everyone posts too.

It would be easy for the Government and it's brainiacs to buy any drone - Chinese or otherwise - and take it apart piece by piece and decode the code to see exactly what the drone / equipment DOES capture. How do you think they caught Huawei and others? Reverse engineer just like the Chinese and Russians have done for decades. Simply look at most of their modern fighter aircraft and they are almost an exact copy of what the US has produced.

I, and others, have already done that, and the transmitted information is of little strategic use. If you have DJI aircraft set to synchronize flight logs then the telemetry is uploaded, together with thumbnails and JPEGs representing media collection. If sync is off then under regular use all they see is map requests and firmware checks. In local data mode nothing is transmitted.

I think the US can do the same and even build its own drones that will satisfy the morons who head up most of the federal government agencies.

The problem is not generally the agency heads or staff themselves (with some notable exceptions appointed under a recent administration) - it's politicians themselves, as in this case.

There are quite a few US-manufactured options now, but they are almost all inferior and more expensive than their DJI equivalents. For example, I use a large (30 lb frame + 25 lb payload) US octoquad to field a high-resolution FLIR visible/IR camera - total cost around $40k. It works, but it is significantly worse in ease of use and image/video quality than my M2EA ($7k).

 

[BigAl07]

It's funny "we" are worried about DJI aircraft but the level of detail that can now be obtained from space is mind boggling and it's available 24/7.

I do think DJI "could" be a potential source for DATA but so could just about any other SMART UAS. DJI just happens to be the Big Hitter on the block.

The amount and type of DATA being collected by FB etc is mind boggling and we are "OK" with that..... tsk tsk tsk . . .

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

JEEZ... Put some spyware in motherboards and processors and sell the computers to the US Government and NOW you're the VILLAIN... It's a cruel world...

 

[eEridani]

At the end of the day, I usually ask people complaining about personal info security if they have a Facebook account. If the answer is yes, their arguments are nullified.

For regional and national security it's a bit different. When a person carrying a properly designed phone can sniff out and record just about every comm signal within miles, and routers and switches and repeaters can directly record comms traffic, it's hard to imagine what a drone can do that's better. Also, since CISCO, Juniper, Arista, Google, Facebook, and now Amazon are doing exactly this, it's hard to single out a foreigner for doing the same.

But it does bring up the seeming rash of DJI drone failures when operating near sensitive infrastructure. Infrastructure that doesn't use publicly addressable channels. The latest being a DJI drone falling out of the sky when other brands kept flying. Maybe the electronics got so busy sniffing and probing it forgot to fly? Probably not, but fun to think about in that conspiratorial sci-fi way.

 

[DroneToJoy]

Ok, my 1 cent....

Anyhow, anyone care to really ask about what the hell China would do with all that information regarding my nature shots, the squirrel, my heart rate, a boat in the sea, a couple of whales, how many times I sneezed while flying, the time spent staring at a TV show with the family where I happen to fall asleep while watching a Youtube video on my (samsung) phone about an add-on for my drone? What on earth can they do with all that endless mind and activity mapping?

Maybe they will invade the whole world and control us through nano information control points? And to what end? Really....

All we want to do, as passionate hobbyists for droning, is to fly, have a good time, savor our precious photos/videos (good ones that is) and have a beer/coffee occasionally. This before being pounded by endless stories of largely angry people in our world supported by hungry media looking for the next 2% of value-add to get their sales up. Game of Drones...sorry thrones...

 

[Lets Fly]

Although it could limit work done by 107 certified pilots that bid on government funded jobs that use equipment on the blacklist.

So what. If you are in it to get government jobs just buy another drone and they may hire you sooner.

 

[sar104]

It's funny "we" are worried about DJI aircraft but the level of detail that can now be obtained from space is mind boggling and it's available 24/7.

I do think DJI "could" be a potential source for DATA but so could just about any other SMART UAS. DJI just happens to be the Big Hitter on the block.

The amount and type of DATA being collected by FB etc is mind boggling and we are "OK" with that..... tsk tsk tsk . . .

To be fair, the resolution from low-flying drones is much better than available from any space-based platform, but a foreign entity isn't going to get useful imaging of sensitive facilities from recreational or commercial operators.

 

[sar104]

At the end of the day, I usually ask people complaining about personal info security if they have a Facebook account. If the answer is yes, their arguments are nullified.

For regional and national security it's a bit different. When a person carrying a properly designed phone can sniff out and record just about every comm signal within miles, and routers and switches and repeaters can directly record comms traffic, it's hard to imagine what a drone can do that's better. Also, since CISCO, Juniper, Arista, Google, Facebook, and now Amazon are doing exactly this, it's hard to single out a foreigner for doing the same.

But it does bring up the seeming rash of DJI drone failures when operating near sensitive infrastructure. Infrastructure that doesn't use publicly addressable channels. The latest being a DJI drone falling out of the sky when other brands kept flying. Maybe the electronics got so busy sniffing and probing it forgot to fly? Probably not, but fun to think about in that conspiratorial sci-fi way.

I'm pretty sure that no one is specifically targeting DJI equipment with CUAS systems.

 

[DoomMeister]

So what. If you are in it to get government jobs just buy another drone and they may hire you sooner.

True! My point was that it ‘can’ affect 107 certified pilots. Most of which would be doing mapping work for tax funded infrastructure build and repair. There are only so many platforms that can be used and workflow can be a major hurdle when changing systems.

 

[eEridani]

I'm pretty sure that no one is specifically targeting DJI equipment with CUAS systems.

Lol - no - I wasn't inferring that; I was making a silly and ridiculous point that the drones are spending so many resources snooping they fall out of the sky all by themselves.

 

[The Fat Controller]

Ok, my 1 cent....

Anyhow, anyone care to really ask about what the hell China would do with all that information regarding my nature shots, the squirrel, my heart rate, a boat in the sea, a couple of whales, how many times I sneezed while flying, the time spent staring at a TV show with the family where I happen to fall asleep while watching a Youtube video on my (samsung) phone about an add-on for my drone? What on earth can they do with all that endless mind and activity mapping?

Maybe they will invade the whole world and control us through nano information control points? And to what end? Really....

All we want to do, as passionate hobbyists for droning, is to fly, have a good time, savor our precious photos/videos (good ones that is) and have a beer/coffee occasionally. This before being pounded by endless stories of largely angry people in our world supported by hungry media looking for the next 2% of value-add to get their sales up. Game of Drones...sorry thrones...

I couldn't have put it better myself. DJI are in the business of manufacturing and selling drones, if they're prevented from selling their products in one place they won't be losing any sleep over it, there are plenty of willing buyers elsewhere. There's also the old magicians' trick of misdirection - if we're busy worrying about what [insert name of foreign country here] is up to we won't be paying as much what attention to what information [insert own country's government] is trying to gather about us.

 

[Boxman]

And so it goes...

Read it here: Reuters DJI article

What about FN cellphones are they going to ban them and OnStar what about 10K other Chinese's products
that read radio waves " No just drones" they are so frickin stupid .

 

[Richiebricker]

Yeah we dont want anyone doing what FaceBook is allowed to do.
Thats Mark Zuckersberbs gig and no one elses

 

[DroneToJoy]

I couldn't have put it better myself. DJI are in the business of manufacturing and selling drones, if they're prevented from selling their products in one place they won't be losing any sleep over it, there are plenty of willing buyers elsewhere. There's also the old magicians' trick of misdirection - if we're busy worrying about what [insert name of foreign country here] is up to we won't be paying as much what attention to what information [insert own country's government] is trying to gather about us.

Amen to that. Most good folk with drones just want to enjoy and beautiful experience. Those not in the hobby are largely misguided by media and public discourse (mostly gossip) feeding back confusion and fear to the average joe about the drone hobbyists true intentions and morals.

I wonder what would happen to everyone with all of us who have mobiles (all with cameras, mics, sophisticated tracking tools, etc as standard) if they weren't in the majority?

 

[jencarta]

No big deal... US Government has already banned purchasing DJI drones for their use as covered in the article... Also note that there is a Blue sUAS program...

No, the US Government has not banned purchasing DJI drones. Certain departments/agencies like DoD have, but not all. I do contract work for NOAA (Department of Commerce) and USFWS (Department of Interior), and neither of them currently ban procurement or use of DJI drones. I also do work for the USCG (Department of Homeland Security), and though several USCG sectors still use DJI drones, I am unclear as to whether or not they have prohibited further procurement.

Here is a statement from the DoD website: "In 2018, DOD issued a ban on the purchase and use of all commercial off-the-shelf drones, regardless of manufacturer, due to cybersecurity concerns. The following year, Congress passed legislation specifically banning the purchase and use of drones and components manufactured in China. DOD complies with Section 848 of the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and additional guidance provided by Executive Order 13981."