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This week, DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer, announced a new policy that will remove enforcement of its ‘No Fly Zone’ geofences in restricted areas. The sudden shift could lead to more drones lingering in places they shouldn’t fly, worsening an ongoing national panic over flying objects in the sky.
DJI, the China-based drone giant, says yes no longer enforcing geofence barriers that prevent its products from flying over restricted areas such as airports, forest fires and government buildings. While the company says these changes are intended to empower its users, they come amid a wave of drone sightings, some around critical infrastructure, that have stoked fear and fueled a growing number of conspiracy theories. DJI’s changes ensure that operators have one less guardrail, preventing them from flying into high-risk areas. The drone dama may not be going away anytime soon.
DJI will not prevent drones from flying over hospitals and forest fires
DJI caused a brief panic in 2015 after a drone operator made an emergency landing with one of its Phantom FC40s on the White House lawn. The response to that event led DJI to implement geofenced “No Fly Zones” around hospitals, government buildings and other critical areas. As part of these changes, DJI banned its drones from taking off in restricted zones. Drones flying close to the border of those areas would be forced to do so automatically slow down and then freeze in place. The voluntary restrictions were an attempt by DJI to prevent its users from accidentally flying into sensitive areas where they could potentially disrupt critical services.
[ Related: Civilian drone grounds LA firefighting plane ]
That is changing. In one blog post published this weekDJI said it was eliminating geofenced No Fly Zones and replacing them with “enhanced warning zones” maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration. Drone operators using DJI Fly and Pilot apps will now receive an in-app alert notifying them if they are approaching FAA-designated controlled airspace. Operators can choose to ignore these warnings. Crucially, it is now left to operators to decide whether or not to avoid the area.
DJI says it is removing geofences to put more control back in the hands of operators and align its policies with regulatory principles “of the operator having ultimate responsibility.” The company claims it implemented No Fly Zones “which help promote responsible flying practices” during a period when drones were less common and regulations around their use continued to be washed away. According to DJI, regulations in both the US and EU have made clearer the boundaries that are considered controlled airspace. DJI did not immediately respond to our request for comment, but defended the change statements sent to The edge on Tuesday.
“This GEO update aligns with the principle put forward by aviation regulators around the world – including the FAA – that the operator is responsible for complying with the rules,” DJI told us. The edge.
In a statement sent to Popular science, the FAA said the agency does not require geofencing from drone manufacturers. Individual drone operators are required to obtain appropriate airspace clearance and comply with regulations.
“Generally speaking, it is legal to fly a drone in most locations if you are operating within 400 feet, but there are rules – including passing pilot safety tests, keeping the drone in sight, avoiding all other aircraft, not causing a hazard to all people or property, and avoiding restricted airspace,” the FAA said.
Removing geofences could further fuel drone panic
By giving users the final say on where drones can ultimately operate, DJI potentially absolves itself of blame or responsibility if one of its products ends up somewhere it’s not supposed to be. But it could also increase the likelihood that the same scenario will happen more often. The Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the FAA and the Department of Defense followed suit in December issued a joint statement saying they had received more than 5,000 alleged drone sightings in just a few weeks. These sightings were part of a broader phenomenon fueled by social media, with Americans claiming to see objects in the sky everywhere they looked. Some stories suggested that these strange flying objects were actually advanced military aircraft or possibly even signs of extraterrestrial life.
In reality, many of these supposed sightings may actually have been commercial aircraft, satellites and planets misidentified as UAPs. But there were undoubtedly consumer hobbyist drones taking to the skies, some of which appear to have entered restricted airspace. Citing these cases, the FAA said on December 20 that it did temporarily restricting drones from flying over 51 utilities spread across New Jersey and New York. The FAA says it imposed the restrictions because the increasing number of drones in the sky appeared to prompt some people to damage them with targeted lasers. Those same lasers could pose a threat to pilots flying aircraft.
DJI’s decision to do away with mandatory geofence has drawn criticism from the company’s former leadership itself. In one statement posted on X this weekFormer DJI head of global policy Brendan Schulman warned that the changes could have a “huge impact”, especially among drone pilots with less knowledge of airspace restrictions.
“There has been substantial evidence over the years that automated drone geofencing, implemented using a risk-based approach, has contributed significantly to aviation safety,” Schulman said.
DJI’s policy change comes less than a week after one of its drones reportedly collided with a firefighting “super scooper” aircraft deployed to battle raging fires in Los Angeles. The impact forced the pilot to ground the plane as the fires continued. Officials from the FBI, which is currently investigating the collision, told CBS News the drone appeared to have violated the FAA’s temporary flight restrictions. That’s not the only time something like this has happened, either. Last year, emergency responders rushing to help hurricane survivors saw an increase in the number of civilian drones operating in restricted airspace. Some of those drones operate in unauthorized areas has reportedly contributed to a rise in close-call events on the air.
DJI caught in the crosshairs of the US government
Any increase in the number of DJI drones found in unauthorized airspace could further erode the view among U.S. regulators and lawmakers, some of whom believe the company’s products can be used as foreign espionage tools. Import restrictions imposed by the Department of Homeland Security has already reportedly stopped DJI from selling its latest Air 3S model in the US. Just this month, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the agency was considering new rules restrict sales of Chinese-made drones in the US. That decision will ultimately be in the hands of new President Donald Trump, who has done this before expressed concerns about alleged safety risks linked to drones imported from China and Russia.
DJI, the world’s largest drone maker, is directly in the spotlight of the US government and these geofence changes could only intensify that unwanted attention.
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