DJI PRODUCTS – CAN’T LIVE WITH THEM, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THEM
A recent (this blog entry was written in late 2023) opinion piece on the WSJ editorial page written by a knowledgeable expert underscored the love/hate relationship America has with DJI, by far the world’s leading drone manufacturer (1).
THE GOOD
DJI’s formal name is Da-Jiang Innovations, and they are based in Shenzhen, China. Their dominance in the drone space is evidenced by an estimated 70% global market share. DJI offers a wide variety of UAS platforms, accessories, and software for various use cases and they are all for the most part excellent in their functionality while being reasonably priced.
THE BAD
As the market leader and an innovator in the drone space, many US agencies and even the US military have purchased DJI products and incorporated them into their workflows. However, as early as 2017, concerns about data security in the DJI apps that control some of their drones began cropping up. Many designs have pilots use their cellphones as the controller interface (or at least the screen on the controller) between them and the drone. As is typical in apps, you must grant permission for regular software and firmware updates. It was discovered that flight data and user data was being downloaded onto servers located in China. This even included basic info like cellphone IMEI numbers and SIM card IDs (2). And as for the flight data itself, it is easy to understand why we wouldn’t want to be sending sensitive data such as photos and video of critical US infrastructure to Chinese servers.
THE UGLY
The US military has banned the use of DJI products since 2017 (except by special exemption). Additionally, due to mounting security concerns, in the last few years, the United States government has been discouraging the use of DJI products in all federal agencies. One example of this is that in January 2020, the Dept. of the Interior grounded their entire fleet of 800 DJI drones that were being used for wildlife conservation and infrastructure monitoring (3). While DJI has been aggressively defending itself in the press claiming to have no ties whatsoever to the Chinese military, several third-party IT and cyber research firms claim to have evidence to the contrary (4). The Trump administration added DJI to the Entities List which bars US companies from selling any sensitive technologies to them. And then in December 2021, the Biden administration tightened the screws further, enacting investment and export restrictions on DJI and others for their participation in the oppression of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang province. Lastly, there are now allegations that DJI’s Aeroscope functionality, which was designed to help prevent recreational drone pilots from venturing into restricted airspace, was allowing the Russians to target Ukrainian citizens who were using their drones to assist Ukrainian soldiers in reconnaissance (5).
THE LATEST
The recent article in the WSJ mentions that through a FOIA request, it was revealed that a division of the US Dept. of Agriculture still uses DJI drones for its survey and research work, and only months ago, the Secret Service actually purchased DJI drones for an undisclosed purpose. At the state level, only Florida has passed regulations requiring certain security standards for drone purchases, but other states may follow suit as DJI products are in use at many state agencies and police departments across the nation.
CSDI’S POSITION
With all the allegations and counterarguments around DJI, it is difficult for anyone, including us, to know where things cross over from truth to pure politics. That’s too bad because as we said at the outset, DJI products are generally excellent and affordable. DJI has “owned” the drone market for years now with very little serious competition, but that is changing. Massive amounts of capital investment are being made into a young but rapidly growing US drone industry. Companies like Skydio and Red Cat (owner of Teal drones and Skypersonic) make excellent products and are selling into the military and enterprise markets. It seems to us that the gap is closing. In our capacity as advisors to companies that are setting up drone operations, as well as in our own choice of drone platform for our inspection services, it seems that a best practice for US customers, if at all possible, is to buy American (or at least non-Chinese) if you can find a comparable product that suits your use case.
Footnotes:
- 1- WSJ Article
- 2 – Grimm Privacy Analysis
- 3 – NYTimes Article
- 4 – Washington Post
- 5 – The Verge on DJI Aeroscope
CSDI Group is committed to providing insights into the drone industry. Contact us today for more information on drone inspections and legislation!