DJI Ends “Restricted Zone” Geofencing

Chinese tech company DJI — one of the biggest drone sellers in the world — announced that it was removing its “Restricted Zone” geofencing tech that automatically stopped drones from flying over sensitive or dangerous areas.

Thousand-Foot View: Removing the geofencing amid drones hampering firefighting efforts in LA and causing mass hysteria in New Jersey may be the masterclass in poor timing. It’s technically legal under FAA rules, but it sure won’t benefit public sentiment.

Behind the Flights: DJI is grounding Restricted Zones, aka “No-Fly Zones,” ten years after one of its drones crashed on the White House lawn.

• That means DJI drones can now fly over airport runways, power plants, public emergencies like the ongoing LA wildfires, and key government buildings if the operator chooses to.
• Instead, operators will be shown an “Enhanced Warning Zone” alert by their drone’s Remote ID tech — the equivalent of a license plate for drones that publicly broadcasts their location.
• That doesn’t mean flying over sensitive locations is legal, but it adds another layer of headaches when it comes to public safety and national security.
• Additionally, the Remote ID alerts only work properly if apps used for flying devices are up to date… which means accidents have a likelier chance of occurring.

The Future: Although the company says that the new software update is about “placing control back in the hands of drone operators,” DJI was recently designated a “Chinese Military Company” and will now be subject to new import bans… so it feels a bit like the company is throwing in the towel. 

DJI successfully rolled out a similar update in the EU but was forced to keep the geofencing around airports. Don’t be surprised if the same happens here, especially after a DJI drone was found responsible for damaging the wing of a “Super Scooper” aircraft fighting the Palisades Fire, resulting in its grounding for days. Again, talk about terrible timing.