If you've been casually adding a DJI drone to your holiday wish list, you might want to hit "buy" immediately. The company issued a stark warning on Monday: its drones could be banned from sale in the US, and the deadline is looming.
Here's the deal: The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-0 just voted to "close loopholes" that allow tech deemed a "national security risk" to be sold in the US. In plain English, the US government is clearing the path to give DJI the same treatment it gave Huawei-effectively banning their products from the American market.
DJI is already sounding the alarm, posting on Instagram that a "deadline that could decide DJI's fate in the US is just 43 days away." The company is warning that without an audit, its products could face an "automatic ban." The US government has long labeled the Chinese drone maker a security risk, and it looks like the hammer might finally be coming down right before the holidays.
The US government has deemed DJI, based in China, a security risk. It's also considering a separate ban on TP-Link routers.
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The vote isn't the end of the road, however. Future bans would need to target specific products and would require a period of public consultation. But it appears the groundwork is being set for the FCC to block sales of future and some existing DJI drones from US shores, as well as products that use DJI technology.
The government has called for a DJI audit by the end of the year, but if that doesn't happen, DJI drone products could be banned for sale by default under a national security law.
DJI asks for a security audit before any ban
A representative for DJI told CNET that while the FCC vote references a rule change that doesn't currently apply to DJI specifically, the National Defense Authorization Act deadline in December would put Chinese companies like it on the FCC's ban list, "without any evidence of wrongdoing or the right to appeal."
Adam Welsh, head of global policy at DJI, said the company has repeatedly said it would be open to audit, but that "more than 10 months have now passed with no sign that the process has begun."
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