The United States’ top-selling hobby drone producer, DJI, is implementing a major change to its drone technology. The company announced on Monday, Jan. 13, it is abandoning its previous “geo-blocking” feature, which locks up a drone and initiates a mechanism forcing it to hover in place around a “geofenced” area if it entered a sensitive U.S. airspace.
Now, when users enter a no-fly-zone, in-app alerts will pop up and warn the operator that they are near U.S. Federal Aviation Administration controlled space.
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The new feature leaves the choice to continue into restricted areas up to the operator of the drone, but banks on the alert discouraging users from going any further over fears of the legal consequences.
The company said the move puts the “final responsibility” on the person using the drone, and its initial move to implement geo-blocking over a decade ago was strictly voluntary. The FAA said it does not require “geofencing from drone manufacturers.”
The move to give users more control to go where they want, when they want is raising safety concerns.
A recent example of that was a collision involving a firefighting aircraft and a DJI drone in restricted airspace over the Palisades Fire, which forced the plane, known as a “Super Scooper,” to be grounded with a damaged wing.
The FBI said it is looking into the incident.
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U.S. authorities are also concerned about DJI drones for other reasons. DJI is a Chinese company, and the United States is already concerned that Beijing is spying on sensitive military sites.
The U.S. is blocking some of the company’s imports through an essential ban over these concerns soon, and has called DJI a “Chinese military company.” DJI denies that it gives any data to China, but may be forced to, under Chinese law.
Tags: Beijing, Big Tech, China, Chinese drones, Drones, FAA, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, One-China, People’s Republic of China, Plane, plane crash, Tech, Technology, United States, Wildfire
[KARAH RUCKER]
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS COULD SOON BE DEALING WITH MORE DRONES FLYING OVER SENSITIVE MILITARY SITES AND AIRPORTS.
THAT’S BECAUSE ONE OF THE NATION’S TOP SELLING DRONE PRODUCERS IS CHANGING THE PROGRAMMING.
D-J-I MAKING THE ANNOUNCEMENT THIS WEEK.
NOW WHEN USERS ENTER A NO-FLY-ZONE, IN-APP ALERTS” WILL POP UP AND WARN THE OPERATOR THEY’RE NEAR “F-A-A DESIGNATED CONTROL SPACE.”
IT LEAVES THE CHOICE UP TO THE OPERATOR BUT BANKS ON THE ALERT DISCOURAGING USERS FROM GOING ANY FURTHER OVER FEAR OF THE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES.
THIS IS A CHANGE FROM THE ‘GEOBLOCKING’ MODEL D-J-I USED PREVIOUSLY, WHERE A DRONE WOULD LOCK UP AND HOVER IN SPACE AROUND THE GEOFENCED AREA IF IT ENTERED SENSITIVE AIRSPACE.
THE COMPANY SAYS THE MOVE PUTS THE “FINAL RESPONSIBILITY” ON THE PERSON USING THE DRONE AND ITS INITIAL MOVE TO IMPLEMENT GEOBLOCKING OVER A DECADE AGO WAS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY.
D-J-I NOTES THE CHANGES COME AFTER THE COMPANY MADE SIMILAR ADJUSTMENTS TO DRONE TECHNOLOGY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION LAST YEAR.
THE F-A-A SAYS IT DOESN’T REQUIRE “GEOFENCING FROM DRONE MANUFACTURERS.”
THE MOVE TO GIVE USERS MORE CONTROL TO GO WHERE THEY WANT, WHEN THEY WANT IS RAISING SAFETY CONCERNS.
WE GOT A VIVID EXAMPLE OF THAT WITH A RECENT COLLISION INVOLVING A FIREFIGHTING AIRCRAFT AND A D-J-I DRONE IN RESTRICTED AIRSPACE OVER THE PALISADES FIRE– FORCING THE PLANE KNOWN AS A ‘SUPER-SCOOPER’ TO BE GROUNDED WITH A DAMAGED WING.
THE F-B-I IS INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT.
U-S AUTHORITIES ARE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT D-J-I DRONES FOR OTHER REASONS.
D-J-I IS A CHINESE COMPANY AND THE U-S IS ALREADY CONCERNED BEIJING IS SPYING ON SENSITIVE MILITARY SITES.
THE U-S IS BLOCKING SOME OF THE COMPANY’S IMPORTS THROUGH AN ESSENTIAL BAN OVER THESE CONCERNS AND CALLS D-J-I A “CHINESE MILITARY COMPANY.”
D-J-I DENIES IT’S GIVING ANY DATA TO CHINA BUT MAY BE FORCED TO UNDER CHINESE LAW.
FOR MORE ON THIS STORY– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT SAN DOT COM.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT SAN DOT COM– FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M KARAH RUCKER.
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