As the backlash against it continues to grow, DJI insists it’s getting even more focused on data privacy. For the last five years, DJI has had a team of 30 devoted entirely to the privacy and data security features of its products. Collectively, this team has contributed more than 300,000 hours to bolster DJI’s apps, servers, chipsets, and firmware, the company says.
In a new blog post, DJI sends out a clear message to its critics:
DJI designs and builds our hardware and software so you never have to share your data – not with us, and not with anyone else. We’re not a data company; we just make drones.
DJI further says, being a leading technology company with a global clientele, it understands its data security will come under scrutiny from users and non-users alike.
That’s why we’re pleased to see so many independent evaluations from US government agencies, as well as respected private cybersecurity firms, that have validated the security protections in our drones, payloads, software and apps. These repeated validations have disproven the unfounded claims about some of our systems, and show that our customers have control over the flight logs, photos, and videos they generate with our products.
So, irrespective of which DJI drone you fly, the company highlights it doesn’t collect any location data, mobile data, or drone GPS log data while giving you the option to not sync flight logs, photos, or videos with DJI services. Similarly, user experience information can also be kept private by simply opting out of data collection.
Nonetheless, to ease more nerves, DJI has gone ahead and given its flagship commercial drone, the Matrice 300 RTK, a major privacy-focused update – essentially providing enterprise users with the same kind of data protection features that were previously accessible only to government users.
While DJI products have always been secure, we never stop strengthening our protocols. The updated M300 takes security features that were previously only available in DJI’s high-security Government Edition drones and makes them accessible to the public. Now you can enjoy the same kind of drone data security setup that just passed multiple rounds of independent testing.
At the same time, DJI points out that it’s always looking for ways to improve its products and mitigate any security concerns and data risks. The company stresses:
In addition to helping prove our data security bona fides, years of independent review have helped DJI to correct problems where they existed and find areas for improvement. For example, in 2020, Booz Allen Hamilton’s review found that an older form of encryption used in some drones made local radio signals susceptible to interception. While the drone still met the Department of Defense’s standards, our team went ahead and made adjustments on all new and future enterprise products.
Read more: Why US Secret Service and FBI are still buying DJI drones
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