this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2024
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DJI, the world’s largest drone company, is suing to avoid being seen as a tool of the Chinese government. On Friday, it sued the US Department of Defense to delete its name from a list of “Chinese Military Companies,” claiming it has no such relationship to Chinese authorities and has suffered unfairly as a result of that designation.

Since DJI was added to that list in 2022, the company claims, it has “lost business deals, been stigmatized as a national security threat, and been banned from contracting with multiple federal government agencies,” and that its employees “now suffer frequent and pervasive stigmatization” and are “repeatedly harassed and insulted in public places.”

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[–] [email protected] 57 points 1 month ago (2 children)

https://www.dji.com/mobile/terms

DJI reserves the right to review, remove, or disable access to User Content in violation of the applicable laws and regulations in China.

Seems like a odd thing to stick in your terms of service.

[–] officermike 27 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Does it really sound that odd? I would expect the exact same from USA-based companies regarding USA laws. Companies generally don't like hosting illegal content.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

Well, they are a Chinese company. That they will need to comply will the laws of China doesn't surprise me.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

is suing to avoid being seen as a tool of the Chinese government

You're a Chinese company, are you going to sue anyone with above room temperature IQs?

[–] linearchaos 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Are we talking Celsius or Fahrenheit here?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

could it be Celsius and not be terminal?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago

I have a dji mini, and I would absolutely love to hack it so it has no internet connection capability and is it's own self-contained drone.

Of course, it would be preferable to have a time machine and talk some security and privacy into my younger self...

[–] recklessengagement 10 points 1 month ago

As much as I like DJI products and FPV drones in general, I can kinda see where the DoD is coming from on this one. DJI drones are particularly capable (which is part of what makes them so awesome) to the point where some are capable of being semi, if not entirely, autonomous.

Their software is entirely closed source, and thanks to the FAAs own ruling, they are now all equipped with SIM cards and internet access. There's absolutely a threat model to consider there.

But banning them is the wrong approach. We can't keep banning good tech just because we're scared of it. There are entire domestic industries that benefit from DJI tech, and several that exist almost entirely because of it. The best approach would be to incentivize local competition. But since that takes a while... Why not just write custom firmware? We can't best China in their manufacturing ability, but we've got tons of software talent. Write custom firmware, open source it, all domestic products get flashed before flying. Defence keeps a tighter leash on their airspace, and industry keeps their cheap drones. Win-win.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

DJIs excuses sound like a gun manufacturer after a school shooting: “We just make the drones. We don’t have any control over the decision to use them to spy on Uyghurs.”

[–] hushable 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Hey Wikipedia what does DJI stands for?

SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. or Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Technologies Ltd. (Chinese: 深圳大疆创新科技有限公司; pinyin: Shēnzhèn Dà Jiāng Chuàngxīn Kējì Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī) or DJI (大疆创新; Dà Jiāng Chuàngxīn; 'Great Frontier Innovations') is a Chinese technology company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, backed by several state-owned entities. DJI manufactures commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for aerial photography and videography.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Is Skilcraft or Lighthouse for the Blind therefore an 'American Military Company'?

Better to label them a company with contracts for the Chinese Military.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I can't wait to buy my own Skilcraft F-35 Lightning with targeting systems software designed and constructed by mentally and physically disabled people paid minimum wages.