Photo by Aaron Burden
Earlier this month, drone maker DJI took a huge PR hit when the US Army abruptly stopped using the company`s drones due to `cyber vulnerabilities.` The decision was revealed in a leaked memo, and DJI was left defending its privacy and security practices to a suddenly skeptical public. Today, the company takes its privacy efforts a bit further with the release of a `Local Data Mode` that allows pilots to fly their DJI drones without an internet connection.
The mode was announced yesterday, and it does exactly what it sounds like: when enabled, it stops all data transfer and connectivity between DJI`s apps and the internet. It`s like incognito mode for drones.
DJI uses that internet connection to `ensure a drone has the most relevant local maps and geofencing data, latest app versions, correct radio frequency and power requirements, and other information that enhances flight safety and functionality,` but the company understands that not all customers need or want this functionality to be on all the time.
`We are creating local data mode to address the needs of our enterprise customers, including public and private organizations that are using DJI technology to perform sensitive operations around the world,` DJI Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs Brendan Schulman says in the press release. `DJI is committed to protecting the privacy of its customers´ photos, videos and flight logs. Local data mode will provide added assurances for customers with heightened data security needs.`
Despite the timing of the release, DJI has told the New York Times that the company has not been in touch with the US Army about its security concerns, and besides, this update seems to have been in the works since before the memo in question went public. Still, this `offline` option feels like a win for privacy advocates and the military alike.
Local Data Mode will be available in DJI`s fleet of apps `starting in the next several weeks` ...
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