Summary
Chinese drone company DJI has removed its geofencing feature that automatically restricted drone flights over sensitive areas, like airports, wildfires, and government buildings, replacing it with dismissible warnings.
The decision follows growing distrust in Chinese-made drones and U.S. regulatory changes.
DJI argues this empowers operators while aligning with global standards, but critics worry it could endanger safety, particularly for unaware pilots.
Previously, geofencing helped prevent incidents, like a DJI drone crash at the White House in 2015.
The drones a terrorist would use to attack a government building doesn’t even have GPS. They’d build racing drones, not use an off-the-shelf camera drone
Exactly what I’m saying.
Geo fencing is only one layer of defense. It’s necessary and useful to some degree, but it should be a part of a whole system. It’s place in the system is literally that of a fence.
The most sensitive places are going to need some active form of defense. There are fiber optic drones, good luck even trying to scramble them.
I just hope one of the layers is falcons.
Fiber optic drones? There’s a cable running from the controller to the drone? Jeez.
You must not be paying attention to the reports out of Ukraine and how both sides are resorting to fiber feeds to avoid all the jamming. It isn’t really even a new concept as it existed way back in the Vietnam War days on the TOW missile; albeit it using wire not fiber optics. Oh yeah and the TOW is currently in use in the Ukraine war right now apparently if you believe wikipedia; but I can’t back that one up myself.
ETA: actually there’s this https://web.archive.org/web/20230331103558/https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1637833178579607552 but seems to be the non-wire guided model. Go figure ;-)
Yep! That said, that drone flying into a plane over the wildfires is a pretty great example of why geofencing SHOULD exist. You don’t have to have malicious intent to cause destruction…I can see someone’s drone getting sucked into an engine while they’re trying to get an amazing shot of a plane taking off
Aren’t there TFRs over fire fighting activities?
Also, any semi-busy to busy airport is generally towered. If you are flying into controlled air space without talking to tower…. You’re going to get charged with a federal crime
I think so? I don’t fly commercially (I have a racing and “indoor” drone) so I’m not sure.
And yeah, it’s a felony. But a felony doesn’t undo the damage.
I’m not advocating either way, I see both sides of the argument as having good points