US government designates drone maker DJI as a national security concern
The U.S. government on Friday added drone maker DJI to a list of Chinese companies designated as national security concerns, and by doing so, banned the export of U.S. technology to the company.
Credit: DJI
DJI was added to the so-called Entity List by the Commerce Department on Friday, Reuters reported. The move bans U.S. companies from exporting technology to the drone maker.
Specifically, the Commerce Department said it was adding DJI -- along with three other companies -- to the blacklist because it "enabled wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic and analysis or high-technology surveillance."
Although not confirmed, that's likely a reference to DJI reportedly providing drones to the Chinese government. In March, Bloomberg reported that DJI drones were being used to surveil detention centers in Xinjiang.
The ban is being implemented through the same process that barred U.S. companies from exporting technology to smartphone maker Huawei.
Because of that, DJI's supply chain is likely to be snarled by the restrictions on components and parts produced by U.S. companies. It could also make it more difficult for U.S. firms to carry out transactions or sell DJI products. That's especially true if China retaliates with its own restrictions.
The Commerce Department filing does allow for a "case-by-case" exemption for products used to detect, identify, and treat infectious diseases. It isn't clear if any of DJI's products will qualify for that exemption.
While it represents an escalation of the Trump Administration's ongoing efforts against Chinese companies, the move also follows government security concerns about Chinese drones. In October, the Justice Department banned the use of agency funds to purchase foreign-made drones. Earlier in 2020, the U.S. Department of the Interior grounded its drone fleet as it investigated security concerns.
Apple sells DJI drones and other products directly on its online storefront.
Credit: DJI
DJI was added to the so-called Entity List by the Commerce Department on Friday, Reuters reported. The move bans U.S. companies from exporting technology to the drone maker.
Specifically, the Commerce Department said it was adding DJI -- along with three other companies -- to the blacklist because it "enabled wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic and analysis or high-technology surveillance."
Although not confirmed, that's likely a reference to DJI reportedly providing drones to the Chinese government. In March, Bloomberg reported that DJI drones were being used to surveil detention centers in Xinjiang.
The ban is being implemented through the same process that barred U.S. companies from exporting technology to smartphone maker Huawei.
Because of that, DJI's supply chain is likely to be snarled by the restrictions on components and parts produced by U.S. companies. It could also make it more difficult for U.S. firms to carry out transactions or sell DJI products. That's especially true if China retaliates with its own restrictions.
The Commerce Department filing does allow for a "case-by-case" exemption for products used to detect, identify, and treat infectious diseases. It isn't clear if any of DJI's products will qualify for that exemption.
While it represents an escalation of the Trump Administration's ongoing efforts against Chinese companies, the move also follows government security concerns about Chinese drones. In October, the Justice Department banned the use of agency funds to purchase foreign-made drones. Earlier in 2020, the U.S. Department of the Interior grounded its drone fleet as it investigated security concerns.
Apple sells DJI drones and other products directly on its online storefront.
Comments
I don’t see any meaningful drone companies from the rest of the world in this field. The other top 2 also from China, sadly. But again the market is just not that big for big tech to join in. Even other companies joined, the mass production will likely in China anyway.
The one thing that makes me hesitate to buy a DJI drone is they always send data home. I don’t know why and I don’t see the need. And I don’t trust CCP a single bit.
Plus blaming DJI for something they really have no choice in, to me is silly, I may not care one bit for the CCP or how they do things or treat their citizens, but this isn't going to change anything,
Possibly because they can't compete on price. Any drones made in the US would need to have decently paid labor whereas China can use what's essentially slave labor. This is the problem with companies sending their manufacturing over there: it sets a precedence on production cost that free countries can't meet.
If you believe there is, then put your $$ (or € or whatever) where your (supposed) principles are, and stop patronizing US products and services, starting the product that appears in your username.
They can start by jettisoning their "... abusive genetic analysis and high technology surveillance..." (assuming the accusations are true).
https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-china-sanctions/exclusive-us-preparing-new-sanctions-on-chinese-officials-over-hong-kong-crackdown-sources-idUSL4N2IN0AO <--
Although drones were kind of cool 10 years ago, their novelty has worn off. Business and government application of drone technology will dominate their use down the road. Privacy and security concerns will become paramount. It’s already too easy to use them as surveillance assets or even as bomb delivery devices. The era of flying drones for fun will become highly regulated and not everyone will be permitted to own one. This prospect doesn’t thrill me. But drone technology opens too many doors to some potentially very bad actors.
So the problem is that the disadvantages suffered by African-Americans means they’re not skilled enough to assemble complex electronic components by the time they’re incarcerated to be used as slave labour.
Got it.
Perhaps, we should then be sanctioning our own leaders for their human rights abuses. Oh yeh.... The Double Standard. I forgot.
The difference is in the propaganda you choose to believe -- not the country.
In the past, there may be little incentives that appeal to the tech companies in China to invest good $ in R&D and develop its own capabilities end-to-end, given there are readily available components, chips, etc from US and others.
What if all these blacklisting by the US just pushes them up to a corner hence sufficient incentives to expedite R&D to strengthen its end-to-end abilities, and build products that people wants and at fraction of the price. From an old Chinese saying - “a dog can jump fences when cornered”. It will be very interesting to revisit where China and US are by 2025-2030.