U.S. authorities have their sights set on China-based drone maker DJI, a company that has popularised drones for consumer and commercial markets globally. The U.S. Congress intends to ban it, as they have begun to see DJI as a national security threat. Once the bipartisan legislation passes and the firm is added to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) communications infrastructure blocklist, DJI's business in the U.S. will effectively be over.
DJI sells drones in a wide range of markets, from consumer, to agriculture, and delivery businesses. Professional amateurs and content creators have used these drones for a variety of applications. Though its primary purpose is either personal or commercial, that doesn't stop it from being used for nefarious reasons - or worse.
DJI's drones aren't designed for combat, but the firm is facing an issue with U.S. lawmakers largely because 6% of its stocks are in the hands of Chinese state-owned businesses. There are fears of vulnerabilities and / or backdoors in the DJI app, and that profits from DJI's business will strengthen the CCP.
Representative Elise Stefanik, the New York senator said, "DJI presents an unacceptable national security risk, and it is past time that drones made by Communist China are removed from America." DJI however refutes these claims. Regina Lin the spokesperson for DJI denied its drones were used for human rights violations as they are not made for surveillance.
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