You may have to check if the venue is at or near a military base or an installation that can be of interest to foreign governments. In this case, it is about the China which is much in the news these days as the U.S. and allies have been accusing its technology companies, especially Huawei, that using their products might compromise their security. Huawei is being banned in telecoms infrastructure projects in these countries especially in the rollout of 5G telecoms infrastructure.

Now, another popular Chinese company, DJI, is being eyed as another potential security threat. In a report at CNN, Chinese-made drones might be sending sensitive flight data to China. In the report, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent out alert that certain components in drones can compromise data that can be accessed beyond the companies’ premises.

"The United States government has strong concerns about any technology product that takes American data into the territory of an authoritarian state that permits its intelligence services to have unfettered access to that data or otherwise abuses that access," the alert says.

80% of drones in the market are made by DJI, which is based in Shenzhen, China. It is the most successful drone maker, producing well-made drones that can be used for hobby and commercial purposes. Thus, any ban on Chinese-made drones by governments will greatly affect the company’s bottomline and can lead to its ruin. ZTE, another Chinese telecoms company has already been banned in the U.S. for violating sanctions against Iran.

This is not the first time the DJI drones are seen to be a security threat. The U.S. Army has banned the use of DJI drones seen in an ICE memo that the company shared critical infrastructure and law enforcement data with the Chinese government.

DJI Phantom 4 Drone (DJI Photo)

DJI has reacted to the ban by releasing an update for its users something called a “local data mode”. This will let owners use their DJI drones without any data exchanged with the pilot and the internet during flights. This designed to prevent internet traffic being accessed via the DJI app to keep government and other customers conscious of their security at ease.

It’s tough for the Chinese tech companies to assure potential customers that there products will not compromise security. The Chinese government exerts a lot of control on how tech companies operate in China, demanding access to information before they are allowed to do business as well as banning companies such as Google and Duckduckgo as search engines in the country. Huawei’s founder is formerly from the PLA and Chinese tech companies work closely with the government. China is a known state sponsor of hackers, stealing commercial and military secrets from all over, especially the U.S.A. to boost its military and tech capabilities.

Thus, your Chinese-made drone may be confiscated or not allowed at military bases or government installations.  Check carefully if the AO is near these so you can leave that at home. But not to worry, there are still many game sites and venues that you can use your drone.