'TikTok With Wings': House Republicans Take Aim at DJI Drones

The Countering CCP Drones Act would add DJI to FCC’s “covered list.”

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 05:43 PM ET

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DJI’s newly released Mavic 3 Pro may soon be banned by the FCC. [Credit: DJI]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. lawmakers are pushing to ban Chinese drone manufacturer DJI from all U.S. government use by adding it to the FCC's "covered list," citing national security concerns over potential data transmission to China.
Concerns are fueled by allegations that DJI drones could send sensitive information (e.g., imagery of military sites) to China, reports of state-backed Chinese investment in DJI, and accusations of its involvement in surveillance against Uyghur Muslims.
DJI denies links to the Chinese government and military, asserting its data security features; however, the lack of conclusive evidence of data transmission hasn't deterred U.S. officials, who view the potential threat and the company's opaque responses as sufficient for federal action.

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Da-Jiang Innovations, better known as DJI, may have poked the bear.

The Chinese drone manufacturer, which has drawn scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers at the state and federal levels and was blacklisted by the Department of Defense, could soon be banned from government use entirely if a bill introduced Wednesday by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) passes.