Lots of rumors are swirling online about the bill titled Countering CCP Drones Act an act largely targeting drone equipment built by Shenzhen Da-Jiang Innovations Sciences and Technologies Company Limited aka DJI the favorite drone of many commercial and recreational pilots in the United States.
I know banning things – especially Chinese things is big on every politician’s to-do list this election year but taking out products by specific manufacturers in other countries seems short-sighted or perhaps driven by a desire to help manufacturers in this country skip an innovation step when their product is the only one available to the public.
And no – that is not speculation – it’s what the bill sponsor said on their website –
“I am proud to introduce the Drones for First Responders Act to stop the CCP’s influence over our nation and increase the competitiveness of U.S. drone manufacturers by establishing a revenue-neutral grant program to help Americans purchase drones securely made by the U.S. and our allies,” said Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
DJI has responded to the claims and addressed the bill directly and a lot of people that use these tools have spoken out as well but it is likely not enough to stop either the future sale of their products or a complete grounding in the United States. The recent message about Flight Data sync was almost a warning from the company to their consumers.
Where do we go from here? We wait and see. I’d like to hope that common sense prevails and we don’t eliminate another company from our economy without just cause wherever they are from. I fear this will have us turning off other devices in the name of an America-First economy. I have purchased several DJI drones and every time I buy a new one I look for other companies and brands as an alternative. I keep coming back because no one else in the marketplace produces a product that is as good in a similar price range.
Should we put guardrails in place where they are needed? Yes and not just on drones. We need to look at all electronic equipment and software both foreign and domestic that could pose a threat. I don’t think a bill that offers a ban on a particular product or application has enough nuance to stop the larger problem that may exist.
I don’t want to be grounded or have my options limited the next time I want to purchase a drone. I enjoy the hobby and while I like all the DJI products I’ve purchased would consider an alternative if one was in the market. I would like to think the win is an American drone company producing that alternative and mandating it through legislation. I also think we need representatives in government that understand technology well enough to see all the risks not just the ones that come from countries they don’t like. If DJI is or even can pull important data from these drones so can other countries at home and from other parts of the world. We need better legislation from top to bottom to handle that threat.
Bottom line? I’d like for this bill to fail and if the threat from DJI or any other technology company is seen as viable regulations be put in place to deal with that for them and any other company that operates in that space. Comprehensive and equitable rules to define how all companies compete in the market. That likely won’t happen but being a Gen-Xer who has seen all kinds of things banned let’s not forget what the poets from 2 Live Crew taught us. Wisen up, ’cause on Election Day, We’ll see who’s banned in the USA!
Update 6/14 – per this article DJI is partnering with a U.S.-based company Anzu Robotics to license its technology for sale in the American market. So is this really about data security or more about generating revenue on a popular product?
