Why is Congress interested in drones?

[WNYBill]

What happened that got the Feds interested in just DJI drones?

 

[mavic3usa]

China
Uyghurs
Ukraine

 

[Cafguy]

China
Uyghurs
Ukraine

Let's Not forget to mention our friends at SKYDIO.

Background and Lobbying Efforts Against DJI

You may be having some difficulty wrapping your head around what is going on with DJI, Autel, and other Chinese drone and drone part manufacturers as H.R. 2864 threatens to ban their products in the United States.

www.thedroningcompany.com

 

[Skydreamer]

What happened that got the Feds interested in just DJI drones?

nothing else to do

 

[JeffreyS]

People are afraid of what they don't understand. Congress doesn't understand a lot of things, such as the truth. Or what their job responsibilities are.

 

[Nanny Ogg]

Fear and ignorance are abundant in Washington DC

 

[Clipper707]

Why is Congress interested in DJI drones? Because of Article 7 of the People's Republic of China's National Intelligence Law of 2017.


Article 7: All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with law, and shall protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of.

The State is to protect individuals and organizations that support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts.

In other words, the Communist Party of China (CPC or CCP) can demand data and information from any Chinese company, immigrant, or citizen.

I love my DJI drones and would hate to see them banned, but I see our current relationship with the PRC as a state of cold war. I've lived and worked in China and experienced the surveillance state. Maybe the Chinese don't need to know what kind of cheese you like on your ham sandwich, but they want to know anyway.

Those of us who are old enough to remember the Cold War (1947-1991) can't imagine our US government allowing the USSR access to US information back then, like we do the Chinese today.

中华人民共和国国家情报法 (2018修正)

National Intelligence Law of the P.R.C. (2017)

www.chinalawtranslate.com

 

[hank970]

As a practical matter, exactly what kind of information, other than that which we willingly supply when we purchase and activate our equipment, could the Chinese glean from our use of DJI drones?

 

[Meta4]

As a practical matter, exactly what kind of information, other than that which we willingly supply when we purchase and activate our equipment, could the Chinese glean from our use of DJI drones?

Nothing at all

 

[KB9Radio]

Basically, politics, it's all part of the anti-Chinese thing. They think the Chinese are intercepting our videos and pictures I guess, and are looking at all of the not so interesting places I go to. Don't tell them about the computer cameras, trail cams, door bell cameras, dash cams, and all the others they will no doubt go after next. It's anti-Chinese and anti-drone at the same time, how much better can it get. Kinda reminds me of the anti-Japan thing back in the 70's, that worked out well.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

Fear and ignorance are abundant in Washington DC

I'm sure the Library of Congress is full of cobwebs from lack of use any more...

 

[Kuiper Denizen]

Why is Congress interested in DJI drones? Because of Article 7 of the People's Republic of China's National Intelligence Law of 2017.


Article 7: All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with law, and shall protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of.

The State is to protect individuals and organizations that support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts.

In other words, the Communist Party of China (CPC or CCP) can demand data and information from any Chinese company, immigrant, or citizen.

I love my DJI drones and would hate to see them banned, but I see our current relationship with the PRC as a state of cold war. I've lived and worked in China and experienced the surveillance state. Maybe the Chinese don't need to know what kind of cheese you like on your ham sandwich, but they want to know anyway.

Those of us who are old enough to remember the Cold War (1947-1991) can't imagine our US government allowing the USSR access to US information back then, like we do the Chinese today.

中华人民共和国国家情报法 (2018修正)

National Intelligence Law of the P.R.C. (2017)

www.chinalawtranslate.com

Clipper 707, you have hit the nail on the head! Like you, I too remember the competition the “western” countries had with Soviet Russia and “Red” China. It was not a peaceful competition and got bloody or repressive in spots too peripheral for a direct military engagement (Korea, Vietnam, Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan).

The competition is still there and no less hostile. We characterized it previously as communism versus capitalism. It is really what it is today, dictatorships versus democracies.

That competition is just as ruthless as what goes on between rival U.S. corporations, short of a shootout.

It’s a mistake to look for red herrings to blame. Skydio and Congress are not the threat, potential Chinese infiltration of D.J.I. (particularly if it’s already happened) is the threat, so let’s not lose track of what we need to do.

I own D.J.I. drones and don’t want to lose the opportunity to fly them. Protecting D.J.I. from Chinese government infiltration is what we need to concentrate on.

We should be alarmed at the fact that, as Clipper points out, the Chinese government does want to know what flavor cheese we like. Knowing where one’s opponent’s weaknesses and strengths are is essential in any competition, from Little League Baseball to World trade.

Maybe one solution is to get our government to force the same thing it’s doing with Tik Tok, a sale to a company free from Chinese interference.

Chasing spooks and conspiracy theories is a distraction the Chinese must love.

 

[hank970]

Clipper 707, you have hit the nail on the head! Like you, I too remember the competition the “western” countries had with Soviet Russia and “Red” China. It was not a peaceful competition and got bloody or repressive in spots too peripheral for a direct military engagement (Korea, Vietnam, Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan).

The competition is still there and no less hostile. We characterized it previously as communism versus capitalism. It is really what it is today, dictatorships versus democracies.

That competition is just as ruthless as what goes on between rival U.S. corporations, short of a shootout.

It’s a mistake to look for red herrings to blame. Skydio and Congress are not the threat, potential Chinese infiltration of D.J.I. (particularly if it’s already happened) is the threat, so let’s not lose track of what we need to do.

I own D.J.I. drones and don’t want to lose the opportunity to fly them. Protecting D.J.I. from Chinese government infiltration is what we need to concentrate on.

We should be alarmed at the fact that, as Clipper points out, the Chinese government does want to know what flavor cheese we like. Knowing where one’s opponent’s weaknesses and strengths are is essential in any competition, from Little League Baseball to World trade.

Maybe one solution is to get our government to force the same thing it’s doing with Tik Tok, a sale to a company free from Chinese interference.

Chasing spooks and conspiracy theories is a distraction the Chinese must love.

A better solution might be for Congress and the rest of us to maintain a balanced and realistic perspective. Let's assume, for a moment, that the Chinese Communist Party has completely infiltrated DJI. So what? Unless we live in China or send our drones back to the mother ship for repairs, neither DJI nor the Chinese government have any practical means to monitor all of our drone-flying activities. Even if they could, I can't imagine what value they'd derive from knowing when and where I fly mine or, for that matter, what varieties of cheese I like. Espionage is more targeted than that. Most personal preferences aren't indicative of strength or weakness; they're just trivial matters of choice.

Frankly, I'm a lot more concerned about our educational system training folks from adversarial countries how to be talented engineers, industry affording them access to sensitive information and sites, and our own misguided citizens who are either careless or willing to compromise national security for a few bucks. It's no coincidence that China's latest and greatest fighter jets and aircraft carriers look a lot like ours.

Finally, if folks in this country are using off-the-shelf consumer drones for work on classified projects, then shame on us.

 

[AlanL]

A better solution might be for Congress and the rest of us to maintain a balanced and realistic perspective.

Are you trying to be rational? I'm sorry but if you keep this up we might have to report you.....

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

Another simple answer is ignorance and stupidity in our government. For example congressman Johnson thinking the Island of Guam would capsize if we stationed too many jets there. We have idiots running our government and they can be manipulated just by throwing a few scare tactics at them.

 

[Nanny Ogg]

As a practical matter, exactly what kind of information, other than that which we willingly supply when we purchase and activate our equipment, could the Chinese glean from our use of DJI drones?

Some modern appliances that require a wifi connection might be collecting more information about us than any DJI or other Chinese drone.

 

[OkieDoc]

I provide the links to the non-classified, public versions of the Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community available for the 2024 and prior years dating back to 2006. Draw your own conclusions. 2024 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community

INTEL - Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community

The Intelligence Community's Worldwide Threat Assessment is released by the Director of National Intelligence annually at public hearings of the IC ov...

www.intelligence.gov

 

[waynorth]

Some modern appliances that require a wifi connection might be collecting more information about us than any DJI or other Chinese drone.

Not only wifi products, and not only Chinese-built.
It is well documented that routers built for export by Cisco (and probably other US companies) are routinely intercepted (without Cisco's knowledge) by the National Security Agency and equipped with hidden surveillance tools.

Snowden: The NSA planted backdoors in Cisco products

'No Place to Hide,' the new book by Glenn Greenwald, says the NSA eavesdrops on 20 billion communications a day -- and planted bugs in Cisco equipment headed overseas

www.infoworld.com

 

[OkieDoc]

I don't like the situation any more than any other DJI users. I love the innovation, durability, and reliability of the DJI products that I have owned and the customer service demonstrated to me. We (the US), under the full support of the US business community, US citizens, and the US government allowed our self to fully immerse ourselves in the purchase and use of PRC subsidized products in our hobbies, business practices, and everyday life. Few thought of "what happens if this thing among China, Taiwan, and the US goes hot." Does anyone really think that DJI would not fowl up continued use of products in hand if this thing goes hot? Rather than rain insults and disrespect on me, how about truly thinking about the situation we find ourselves in, let's use something other than a me, me, me thought process, think about vulnerability for a moment. Too much emphasis on this website is about "spying" through use of the product rather than disrupting use of products that we have become reliant upon. Please give this some serious thought. I by no means am on board with legislation banning or blocking use of DJI products, I am merely asking this group to put on your war hats and think about things. I have been told many times I am still stuck in the cold war era. To that I respond, the cold war never ended, it merely expanded its theatres of operations.

 

[OkieDoc]

Not only wifi products, and not only Chinese-built.
It is well documented that routers built for export by Cisco (and probably other US companies) are routinely intercepted (without Cisco's knowledge) by the National Security Agency and equipped with hidden surveillance tools.

Snowden: The NSA planted backdoors in Cisco products

'No Place to Hide,' the new book by Glenn Greenwald, says the NSA eavesdrops on 20 billion communications a day -- and planted bugs in Cisco equipment headed overseas

www.infoworld.com

I sure hope that my government is spying on me. If they aren't spying on us then they aren't doing their job. They will learn where my favorite fishing and deer hunting spots are as well as where my favorite morel mushroom hunting spots are located.