DJI responds to US bill seeking blanket ban on its drones

Tech giant DJI has provided a detailed response to legislation that seeks to ban its drones in the US. If passed, the “Countering CCP Drones Act” would prevent operators from buying the latest DJI drones — and may also potentially ground existing fleets, regardless of how operators use them — because it would prohibit DJI from operating on US communications infrastructure. The bill has already advanced to clear a Congress committee hearing.

What is DJI saying?

Stressing that the bill damages not just DJI, but also the broader ecosystem of operators, businesses, and public safety agencies that rely on its technologies, the drone maker explains lawmakers pushing the legislation are using baseless claims and geopolitically-disguised ploys to eliminate it from the marketplace.

“The lawmakers driving this legislation continue to reference inaccurate and unsubstantiated allegations regarding DJI’s operations, and have amplified xenophobic narratives in a quest to support local drone manufacturers and eliminate market competition,” DJI says on its official blog.

The company points out that it has been instrumental in the development of the US drone ecosystem, and has also invested heavily in data privacy and security initiatives. “Nevertheless, we support the development of US drone manufacturing as we believe that competition and innovation go hand in hand, and benefit end users the most,” DJI says.

As such, the company believes that the government’s focus should be on developing a set of industry standards or guidelines that raise the bar on security for all manufacturers, and not target innovators simply because of their country of origin.

Also read: DJI has opened its first retail store in US

Debunking the claims behind the proposed drone ban

Here’s the detailed response from DJI on the claims outlined in the “Countering CCP Drones Act”…

Allegation: “DJI drones are collecting vast amounts of sensitive data – everything from high-resolution images of critical U.S. infrastructure to facial recognition technology and remote sensors that can measure an individual’s body temperature and heart rate.”

DJI’s take: DJI drones do not collect flight logs, photos, or videos – by default. Operators have to opt-in to share this data with us, and those who want to take extra precautions can easily choose to activate Local Data Mode (and even switch on their mobile’s ‘airplane mode’) for added peace of mind. This means the flight app is completely disconnected from the internet and is similar to an air-gapped computer. 

To add, DJI has not advised the use of drones to measure body temperature nor heart rate. Several novel use cases of drones were explored by the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to support public safety and emergency response operations. Measuring body temperature via drone was one such application, but we communicated that it was not advisable. As for drones measuring heart rates, this was an issue involving a different drone manufacturer; DJI was not involved in this test application. 

Allegation: “DJI can be compelled by governments to assist in espionage.”

DJI’s take: DJI follows the rules and regulations in the markets it operates in. Like other global technology companies, there may be requirements for DJI to disclose certain information pursuant to local laws and regulations where we operate. For example, DJI may need to disclose information if required to do so in response to a local court order, judicial or other government subpoena, warrant or enforceable request.

Upon receipt of such an order, DJI’s policy is to review the request to check if it meets legal requirements for disclosure. Part of that requirement is that the disclosure would only include data that has been shared with DJI within the national jurisdiction of the government agency requesting it. It is important to note that this only applies to data DJI does have access to – as we have said earlier: DJI does not collect flight logs, photos, or videos by default.

Allegation: “DJI is a ‘Chinese Military Company’.”

DJI’s take: This is false. DJI is not a military company. We remain one of few drone companies to clearly denounce and actively discourage the use of our drones in combat.  DJI does not manufacture military-grade equipment, nor does it pursue business opportunities for combat use or operations. In fact, our distributors, resellers, and other business partners have committed to following this policy when they sell and use our products. They understand that we will terminate our business relationship with them if they cannot adhere to this commitment.

Allegation: “DJI supports human rights abuses.”

DJI’s take: This is also false. DJI has not engaged in any activities that violate or abuse human rights. Just like other manufacturers, we do not have control over how our products are used as they are available off-the-shelf. However, we have demonstrated – through years of investments in product safety and security initiatives – that our products are developed for peaceful and civilian use only.

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