The drones circled over the caves and crevices that dot northern Utah’s mountain trails, sending real-time footage back to search teams on the ground looking for missing hikers. After 19 minutes, they had her coordinates and the rescue, or training, was nearing completion.
“It’s actually pretty quick in an environment like this,” said volunteer search and rescue worker Kyle Nordfors. He was piloting one of the drones made by DJI, a Chinese company that dominates sales to law enforcement and the U.S. hobbyist market.
But if DJI’s drones are the tool of choice for emergency responders across the country, they are widely viewed in Washington as a national security threat.
DJI is on the Department of Defense’s list of Chinese military companies, and the U.S. military will be prohibited from purchasing its products in the future. Other federal agencies and programs will also likely be barred from purchasing DJI drones as part of the defense budget passed by Congress this year.
The Treasury Department and the Commerce Department have penalized DJI for using its drones to spy on Muslim Uyghurs held in camps by Chinese authorities in the Xinjiang region. Researchers have found that the Chinese government could exploit vulnerabilities in apps that control drones to access large amounts of personal information, but U.S. officials say there are currently no known unpatched He stated that there are no vulnerabilities.
Congress is currently considering legislation that could wipe out much of DJI’s commercial operations in the U.S. by putting it on the Federal Communications Commission’s roster and preventing it from operating on the nation’s communications infrastructure. .
The bill has bipartisan support but faces vigorous lobbying from DJI. The company hopes Americans like Nordfors who use its products can convince lawmakers that the U.S. has nothing to fear and much to gain by continuing to fly DJI drones. I hope you will.
But this influence campaign is facing a skeptical audience.
“DJI poses an unacceptable national security risk, and it is past time for communist China-made drones to be removed from the United States,” said New York Republican, one of the bill’s lead sponsors. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said in an emailed statement this month.
Government agencies have indicated that DJI drones are providing data about U.S. “critical infrastructure” to the Chinese Communist Party, Stefanik said, without elaborating. “Any attempt to claim otherwise is a direct result of DJI’s lobbying efforts.”
A bill that would effectively ground DJI drones, known as the Anti-China Drone Act, passed unanimously in the House Energy and Commerce Committee last month. Lobbyists and China experts briefed on the bill said it could be voted on in the House within the next month or two. Restrictions on business activities in the United States may be considered.
The bill is also likely to find support in the Senate, which has introduced various regulations against Chinese drones in recent years.
In the midst of the 2024 election campaign, both parties are keen to get tough on China. The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would force ByteDance, the Chinese owner of the popular social media network TikTok, to sell the app within a year or cease operations in the United States. President Biden signed the bill into law Wednesday.
Like TikTok, DJI drones are widely popular in the United States. David Benowitz, a former DJI employee and American drone maker who works for BRINC, estimates that his DJI drones will account for 58% of the commercial market in 2022. Although there is no accurate up-to-date data on DJI’s popularity among law enforcement agencies, Bard University states: A 2020 study based on FAA records pegs the company’s share at 90 percent.
DJI’s lobbying efforts have garnered grassroots support from users who are concerned that a ban on the company’s drones would be disruptive and costly, especially since its U.S. suppliers have not proven they can compete on cost or quality. .
“Beyond the national security risks these drones pose, we need to build a strong and competitive We need an American drone industry.”
DJI spent $1.6 million on lobbying last year, according to OpenSecret, which tracks political spending. The company has spent at least $310,000 so far this year, according to Senate lobbying disclosures. Some of these funds helped set up meetings with lawmakers for emergency responders using DJI’s drones.
The company also funds a website called the Drone Advocacy Alliance, according to Vic Moss and Chris Fink, the drone users who manage the site. Part of its purpose is to raise awareness about the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-drone law, and it includes templates for contacting lawmakers directly.
“Our products are designed to promote the public interest and benefit society,” DJI spokeswoman Regina Lin said in a statement. She denied that the drones were involved in human rights violations and said they were not intended for surveillance.
DJI recently opened a showroom to display its drones in a prime location on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. Drones range in price from $279 to at least $9,000 and are used for a wide range of purposes, including amateur and professional photography, videography, and architecture.
“Me and some of my friends use it to measure the terrain and measure the dimensions of buildings,” said Paolo Dallapozza, an Italian architect who recently visited the store. Ta.
Amid rumors that China hardliners in Congress could blacklist lobbyists representing military-linked Chinese companies and other clients, at least one person representing DJI, according to Senate lobbying disclosures, said: Two companies, Vogel Group and Avok, ended their relationships with DJI in February. DJI is quickly hiring new representatives, including Liberty Government, which is run by a former senior aide to Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has been hostile to efforts to curb TikTok, according to Senate filings.・Includes affairs.
Lawyers for DJI have filed a complaint with the Department of Defense about the company’s inclusion on the list of Chinese military companies. DJI has so far sought to remove itself, but has been unsuccessful. In particular, the lawyers pointed out that Chinese state-owned enterprises (including several banks, a state-owned insurance company and two municipal funds) own less than 6% of DJI.
“DJI’s ownership is primarily concentrated in the hands of its founders and early-stage management, with no government officials or representatives of any government or state-owned entity among them,” President Barack Obama said. Loretta Lynch, former attorney general and current attorney general, said: In a July letter to the Department of Defense, partners at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison wrote:
But the Pentagon is unyielding.
As China seeks to “blur the lines between the civilian and military sectors, ‘knowing your customer’ is critical,” Pentagon spokesman Jeff Jurgensen said.
“U.S. companies must be wary of contributing to China’s military programs,” he added, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
Discussions about strategy among DJI lobbyists have taken on a panicky tone in recent weeks, said a DJI representative who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential details. Users like Fink, a former 911 dispatcher who runs a drone shop in Fayetteville, Arkansas, selling a variety of makes and models, including those made by DJI, are trying to intervene.
Fink said the company is more focused on ensuring consumers choose quality products than on where the drones are manufactured. “I think all we need is a more competitive product that provides a system that is consistent, reliable, secure and easy to use,” he said.
Michael Lighthizer flies a number of drones, including one made by DJI, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He has met virtually with state representatives, including Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine’s staff, to oppose the proposed flight restrictions. Use of DJI drones. But Lighthizer said he also recently purchased a fixed-wing vertical takeoff drone from Litchfield, Ohio-based manufacturer Event38 Unmando Systems, acknowledging political realities.
Lighthizer said the price of the Event 38 drone was a little higher than the one made by DJI, but “I don’t want to buy something made in China that might be removed within a month.”
Julian E. Burns Contributed to reporting from Washington.
