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DJI Threatens To 'Brick' Its Copters Unless Owners Agree To Share Their Details (thesun.co.uk)
schwit1 quotes a report from The Sun: A top drone manufacturer has warned that customers' expensive gadgets will be crippled if they don't register their details on its website. DJI drones -- which cost between $1,200 and $3,000 -- won't be able to fly to their full potential or beam back footage if their owners don't sign up next week, the company warned. Those who splashed out for the snazzy gadgets will find they are limited to a teensy 50m radius and it won't be flying higher than 30m if they don't play ball. The company said on its website: "DJI will soon introduce a new application activation process for international customers. This new step, to take effect at the end of next week, ensures you will use the correct set of geospatial information and flight functions for your aircraft, as determined by your geographical location and user profile. All existing flight safety limitations, such as geofencing boundaries and altitude limits, remain the same. Even if you have registered when activating your aircraft upon purchase, you will have to log in once when you update the new version of DJI GO or GO 4 App."
Dateline 2018:
In other news, DJI sales dropped off to near nothing, and the company filed for bankruptcy today. The unexplained failure of customers to buy an intentionally crippled product was cited as the primary reason for the company's failure.
Angry stockholders had to be prevented from physically assaulting the corporate board, who were seen running to their limousines behind heavy security.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Summary should read, "A former top drone manufacturer..."
There's nothing better for your competitors than fucking your customers.
I'm glad that DJI is taking the lead in preventing drones from being used in an unsafe manner. It's about time. This is wonderful news for those of us who are concerned that drones make civil aviation and passenger flights less safe.
That's not what "brick" means. And the summary's assertion that people will have to sign up by next week doesn't even survive the rest of the summary, where it's made clear that the issue only comes up if you decide to change the firmware and companion app you're using. If you don't change them, there's NO CHANGE. If you DO change them, they want to pair the user of the device with a known account. Because they need to CYA should somebody do something especially douchey with one of their flying robots.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
I thought that there were no worst device that "cloud exclusive hardware" that even if you paid the price for it, you will depend always on the manufacturer cloud for those devices to work. But this case is the winner, follow up by John Deer.
a couple of years ago when the Canadian dollar was stronger. It's all I need.
Mostly random stuff.
There is no real ownership of anything anymore. I'll be really surprised when you have to agree to a EULA upon entering this messed up world. Unbelievable.
The PS3 wan't jailbroken until Sony tried removing features. This is going to lead to some great advancements in open source drone firmware.
What does this button d$#%* NO CARRIER
You are about to get a lesson in the true meaning of the words "Customer Backlash" :-D
But first shit on them. Always shit on stuff before you send it back.
Here's how this works for them in the end:
THE FREE MARKET! As in There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Market.
** Every other drone manufacturer requires that you do the same. The end. **
It's how we have encrypted BIOS, encrypted car engine diagnostics, and cell phones that don't have manual cutoffs on the camera and mic. How we have no choice in internet and cell phones providers when it comes to privacy. They just copy each other's requirements. Emergent multopoly.
Unless bricks actually can fly 30m high and in a 50m radius.
"I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
Hey Beau, how about you do some editing, you DOLT? Teensy? Snazzy gadgets? I can't tell whether this article is more like something written for The Daily Mail or for a bunch of fourth graders. Why don't you focus on your school and leave the editing to the experts? I'd love to see samzenpus come back.
I have always felt that DJI was way to eager to embrace regulations and exert factory control over the drones. Geofencing should be a warning, It should be up to the operator to proceed or not. No pilot would accept an airplane that simply refused to fly arbitrary places.
Good-bye
Demand a refund!
Call, ask for the process to get a full refund since these terms and conditions weren't known at the time of sale.
Make it a hassle for the company. The bigger the hassle, the better.
The DJI Go app already collects location, phone numbers, live flight metrics, serial numbers, and other data. And you need to sign up and let the app forward all that data to DJI at least once to "activate" a drone (they come deactivated and won't fly until you do it). Fortunately, the application itself, or at least the Android version of it, is written in a rather crappy way by kindergarten-grade programmers, and all their pathetic attempts to obfuscate data before it goes to China are trivial to bypass. The app also uses static hardcoded encryption keys, so whoever intercepts its traffic in transit can easily decrypt it.
Somebody with skills and time should look at the firmware itself. The history says that most of the Chinese devices have laughable if any protection and it should be possible to customize the firmware.
Meanwhile the recommendations are: 1. do not DJI Go on your phone. Use a tablet that does not have cell/mobile network connectivity or sensitive data on it. 2. Do not upgrade or update firmware unnecessarily. 3. Complain as much as possible online, including to regulatory bodies (FTC, etc.) to encourage DJI to change their idiotic policies.
Fuck. Off.
By forcing people to register, DJI can alter the drone’s settings dependant on where the customer lives. That means it can make sure drones are flying by rules set by each nation.
Soon, phone and tablet manufacturers will push out updates to prevent you from taking pictures that might be considered pornographic, sacrilegious, or disrespectful to God or some other supreme leader in the jurisdiction you happen to be in. And when you move to a different jurisdiction, any such 'violations' already on your device will automatically be erased.
Many commenters so far have talked about how DJI is going to have their asses handed to them by their current and potential customers. What most here are missing is that this is the wave of the very near future - it's a trend, and it shows no signs of reversing. We truly live in a corporatocracy, and it's getting more and more entrenched, more invasive, and bolder by the day. Even if DJI loses this one, it's just a skirmish in a much bigger war that we are currently losing, and losing badly. When we lose control over the things we buy, we lose ownership, and everything we have is rented. Losing control over our own lives and our own destinies won't be far behind.
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
Because this is how you raise an army of cyberpunks.
Good-bye
Why is an article in The Sun linked on the main page?
Surely the same information (from a press release, right?) is available somewhere else. . . To save you the trouble of reading my entire post, I can say that I FOUND NOTHING LIKE THIS SUN ARTICLE'S IMPLICATION anywhere. It is the usual for the Sun – making shit up to fill the pages.
I wasted a good bit of time looking for a verifying source. Nothing. The closest I can find is that for purchasers in New Zealand, the product warranty is not valid unless they sign up with DJI. Not even close to the article's statements.
DJI will not be able to provide you with service under this warranty if you refuse to provide your information or do not wish us to transfer your information to our agent or contractor.
There is noting to find. If you feel like wasting your time as well, then click here to read their After-sales Policies.
>> Hard-limit them to 50m range and 30m height
DRM does not work. It never worked. Deal with it.
aaaaaaa
This claim of geofencing your DJI drone unless you register is bogus. Made-up. Fiction. Sensationalist rumor-mongering.
See my other post for details.
Well gee whiz, guess what brand of drone I won't be buying?
That's right, fuck you, DJI.
I also expect that this firmware bullshit will be hacked back into full functionality before very long.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
I'll be really surprised when you have to agree to a EULA upon entering this messed up world.
Some philosophers (since at least Rousseau in 1762) call it "The Social Contract". They allege you "sign" it by existing, trading away some of your freedom for alleged benefits from interacting with the "society" composed of the others around you. They use it to justify the State imposing controls on individuals.
Think of it as an invisible shrink-wrap agreement on your amniotic sac.
This, of course, bends the concept of "contract" so far out of shape that it shatters. (Hint: To be valid a contract must be voluntarily entered into by informed adults and include an exchange of valuable considerations in both directions.)
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Spoofing GPS data is trivial with a HackRF...
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
I very recently bought and paid for a DJI Mavic Pro. I received an email from DJI 2 days ago about this. Here's the email:
Dear Customers,
DJI will soon introduce a new application activation process for international customers. This new step, to take effect at the end of this week, ensures you will use the correct set of geospatial information and flight functions for your aircraft, as determined by your geographical location and user profile. All existing flight safety limitations, such as geofencing boundaries and altitude limits, remain the same.
Even if you have registered when activating your aircraft upon purchase, you will have to log in once when you update the new version of DJI GO or GO 4 App. If you have forgotten your password since your initial login, you can reset it using a function within the DJI GO and DJI GO 4 apps.
You will need a data connection to the Internet for your smartphone or tablet when you log in, in order to verify the account information and activate the updated software or firmware. If this activation process is not performed, the aircraft will not have access to the correct geospatial information and flight functions for that region, and its operations will be restricted if you update the upcoming firmware: Live camera streaming will be disabled, and flight will be limited to a 50-meter (164-foot) radius up to 30 meters (98 feet) high.
The feature applies to all aircraft (except standalone A3 and N3) that have been upgraded to the latest firmware or when using future versions of the DJI GO and GO 4 apps.
DJI encourages pilots to always follow applicable laws and regulations in the countries where they operate, and provides information about these regulations on its FlySafe website at flysafe.dji.com.
Sincerely,
Your DJI Team
I build my own aircrafts and use only open source firmware on the flight controllers. I thank all the developers of dRonin ground station and firmware for making this possible.
Because I cannot think of any way other than requiring connectivity to operate that this could ever actually be enforced. What if you want to operate it while camping where you have no connectivity in the first place?
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Dude, PHOTOGRAPHS STEAL YOUR SOUL!
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
This sounds like the beginning of an extremely dangerous game. Not good.. Not good at all.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
I’d like to see if newer DJI products shipping with the new firmware will have a notice prominently displayed that clearly discloses to prospective buyers that they will have to register and submit personal information in order to operate the craft. I’d hope for legal requirements to that effect.
Moreover, there really should be no need to disclose personal information in order to download geo-fencing data. Yet, I can see how they’d play on that idea to “justify” the crippling of operational range. On the other hand, disabling video streaming for those who fail to register... That speaks volumes about DJI’s real intentions!
Odd. I've only ever heard complaints about them in the last 5 or 6 years, and yet they've been in use since at least the 50s, and I'm pretty sure back to the 40s.
Marketing changed the name though, they used to be called R/C, which is short for Radio Controlled. There have been many thousands of R/C enthusiasts since long before I was born.
I think you're overreacting, to put it mildly. Too much hyperbole there AC.
..you only need an apple account that you can make on the fly when activating it.
most of the world thats how it works anyways. people don't have cc's so what the fuck.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
That's not what "brick" means.
It's an article in "The Sun". They don't know what most words mean especially if they have more than one syllable. It has been shown that reading The Sun or other tabloids results in a worse vocabulary than not reading any newspaper and if you want to gauge their level have a look at their toughest words in the dictionary quiz. It is frankly rather sad that Slashdot is linking to such a wholly unreliable source.
Odd. I've only ever heard complaints about them in the last 5 or 6 years, and yet they've been in use since at least the 50s, and I'm pretty sure back to the 40s.
Yes, yes, but those were just simple remotely-controlled miniature flying machines. Nothing to get excited about.
These are totally different! These are privacy-invading, aircraft-wrecking drones! They have **apps** ffs! Might as well paint a big "ISIS" on the side of the things! /s
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
Consumer law in NZ is pretty good, DJI may end up licking their wounds
Make sure registering creates a bonus for the customer, rather than a penalty for not doing so. Ship all new units with "limited functionality" that unlocks with "free" registration. Make the customer WANT to register. Instead we see the arrogance of Corporations and the people that run them.
I'm at a loss as to why everyone seems so furious about this. Aside from the basic "well it's mine and I do with it whatever I want", which is categorically untrue for all aircraft, I fail to see how this limits on really harms the user in any way. What nefarious purpose is this registration going to serve? If someone could enlighten me I'd really be interested to know.
I guess I'm not now
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
https://www.engadget.com/2017/...
Ooh, moderator points! Five more idjits go to Minus One Hell!
Delendae sunt RIAA, MPAA et Windoze
Upgradeable and I don't have to deal with this draconian bs.
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
OSS means they cant control your product.
If your drone does not use one of the OSS drone pilot software systems, then it's a piece of poo.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I was thinking of geting a DJI Phantom 4, no more. No more DJI products at all, for ever for me and anybody who cares to ask me for advise (as a local "guru" on tech. stuff many do).
These days no one buys something and actual owns it. It's licensed from the maker, who can pull the plug at anytime. e.g. if DJI gets a court order from a government to ground all drones within a country? Fine.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
I was considering a DJI but I'll go with Walkera instead.
Dude, we, old farts, are using RC helicopters for more than 30 years, yes, big 4 feet helicopters running on nitro engine, that can go hundreds of yards away from the pilot. What's up with all this sudden hate? Electric helicopters nowadays make way less noise and are more secure (assisted flight and hovering).
"Science will win because it works." - Stephen Hawking
Maybe this is because it's a Chinese made product but you'd think DJI would think that maybe giving the customer the ultimate choice on what their product can't and can do? I've heard that their drones are already limited to 500m for altitude which for most uses is plenty but runs into problems when folks are staying close to the ground hugging mountains over 500m. They really should adopt more of a "warning policy" in that the system should warn you that you're exceeding limits with a disclaimer. After all at around a $1000 it isn't exactly what you call a child's toy.
I've seen the amazing landscape and scenery that enthusiasts have been able to get aside from probably the fun of flying a drone. I've owned and got good at flying coaxial helicopters for years but with the paranoid laws in Canada and all these crazy restrictions even by the manufacturers, I think they're killing their own bread and butter. It's made me think this isn't worth investing in, and to think I've used model rockets that have blown way over those height restrictions.
As one off-duty police office noted on drones, the consumer ones weight far less and are more fragile than a Canada Goose. Try chopping a 20lb Turkey in half compared to a 2-4lb extremely fragile drone and you'll get the idea quickly. Considering it usually takes a flock of geese to bring down a plane and even that's rare, it's highly unlikely a consumer drone will ever bring down a plane short of it being a military drone.
To think that early NASA engineers used essentially pipe bombs for their toy rockets while we're panicking over a few pounds of plastic that would likely give you a few cuts at worst if you managed to ram it into yourself.
The released a new version of their "Capture" app which was changed so that you couldn't control the camera without logging into the GoPro site first.
If you already own a DJI drone that will be affected by all this latest update crap and privacy intrusion, a simple workaround is to not allow your device to connect to the Internet. So you will have to do without maps which isn't that much of a big deal. Alternatively you can download a non-DJI flight app.
DJI's 2nd last update is what really infuriated me, I had 3 drones that all worked flawlessly with the Android devices I had. Never missed a beat. Then I wanted to fly a spot where I thought maps would be useful and I allowed the software to connect to the net. That then bricked all 3 drones till I could load the updates. Trouble was I only had a weak signal as I was in a rural area. Didn't have the bandwidth to upgrade the app and the old app was disabled. I did the rural trip specially to get some footage that I had wanted for ages and I had to cancel the trip, go home and update. Then I found out the hard way my $1000 S7 was no longer compatible nor was the high end Samsung tablet that was specially purchased for the drones!
I ended up losing a drone into the ocean as a direct result of those updates and the lack of information regarding compatibility from DJI when they FORCE updates on their hapless customers. Ended up having to purchase a replacement drone since no logs were written to the device and therefore couldn't claim under the crappy warranty and furthermore I had to purchase another compatible tablet(ipad mini4) so that damned update ended up costing me approx $2000.
Once you purchase something you should have a choice if you want the manufacturer screwing with it or not!
Be careful what you wish for because your wish might come true!