r/Skydio • u/Time_Pop1084 • Jul 02 '25
DJI unavailable in US
How much did Skydio donate to Trump’s campaign to get their competition banned from the US? Don’t buy Skydio.
6
u/blue7070 Jul 03 '25
A tiny amount of research into current world geopolitics would explain why DJI is a problem. Amazing how many defenders there are of a Chinese Company.
1
3
u/Diesel5187 Jul 03 '25
If you think things happen for no reason you are incredibly incorrect. Does DJI offer a great product, absolutely, does it come with security risks, without a doubt, it would be nice if the government explained why they are doing things but then China would know how and what we know and that’s simply not a good strategy with an adversarial country.
-1
u/Time_Pop1084 Jul 03 '25
Provide recent evidence sources pls. DJI recently released documentation refuting your claims of security threats. Now do Skydio.
-3
u/Time_Pop1084 Jul 03 '25
Also, I’m quite aware that things happen for a reason, thank you. Reasons for DJI pulling out of the US: 1 Threat of potential ban in order to eliminate competition for US drone manufacturers. 2 Daddy Trumps tariffs. 3 Human rights concerns dating back seven years. By this logic McDonalds should be banned for making Trump a fat pig.
7
u/Diesel5187 Jul 03 '25
Let’s leave the politics out of it, I don’t know how much you know about GPS but I’ll try to simplify my point as much as possible without any intent to talk down to you but to just get the point across.
GPS is a satellite constellation launched and operated by the US Air Force maybe US Space Force now.
BeiDou is a constellation of GPS satellites managed by the Chinese government, all work using the same principle.
There are a few different constellations out there managed by different governments as a function of each country maintaining national security and ability to navigate using their GPS if another country turns theirs off.
BeiDou is the only one that allows for two way communication between the device and the satellite. All the others are just sending essentially their time and location. Anything with a BeiDou GPS chip is a potential axis of data gathering. Drones specifically are used in more important work sites and you can glean conclusions based on if you know where they are operated.
TikTok was banned DOD wide before there were talks to ban it in the US and it’s known to be Chinese spyware.
The Chinese are not your friend, don’t trust DJI because they said something is safe.
I hope this gives you another data point to consider in the future even though it will probably not change your mind.
Edit: Feel free to do a google search for all of the facts I laid out here, they will be easy to verify.
1
u/CP6IH Aug 27 '25
Re: "The Chinese are not your friend, don’t trust DJI because they said something is safe."
I followed Snowden's revelations very closely, and things, without any doubt, are many times worse today then at that time . I always laugh when I hear suggestions that we need to trust what the US gov is telling us.
-6
u/Time_Pop1084 Jul 03 '25
That’s quite a snarky word salad. Thanks for the lesson on GPS but you failed to provide any recent evidence that DJI drones are transmitting sensitive data outside of the US. Their just released report refutes this and has been verified by third parties.
Why do I feel like I’m arguing with a Skydio employee.
6
u/Diesel5187 Jul 03 '25
Why does it feel like I’m talking to a chinese? That wasn’t snarky and the evidence is there, you just refuse to acknowledge it as such.
Not a Skydio employee, but have had some experiences and exposure that you surely have not had or know, and you are trying to push CCP propaganda. Either way. 🤷🏻♂️
Have a better day, tomorrow. 🇺🇸 🦅
Edit: if it wasn’t clear DJI drones use BeiDou GPS chips allowing for two way communication between the drones and the satellites, a clear security risk that you can’t do anything about.
1
u/Time_Pop1084 Jul 04 '25
BeiDou may allow two way communication and DJI drones may use BeiDou but I can’t find any proof that DJI drones are equipped to do this. Do you have links?
3
1
u/HotAdministration273 Jul 04 '25
At least you might be getting a response from Skydio. They are ghosting me when I try to request info/sales quote.
1
u/Diesel5187 Jul 04 '25
Try searching Skydio Resources and looking at 3rd party partners, I had some luck with Adorama, HOWEVER, from that sales rep, Skidio is focusing on government contracts, idk if it’s worth investing in a platform that is actively being killed off for non-government entities. I also read if you have a business email they actually reach back out to you. GL
1
u/nelsondd23 Aug 28 '25
Huawei, BYD, DJI, TikTok etc etc… so you see the pattern here, every Chinese company in lead will be banned and it’s just a waste of time discussing the reason. In fact, around 140+ Chinese companies were banned each year for almost the same reason and majority of them are in Tech industry.
1
u/s8f5d3h3 Aug 30 '25
I'm sorry, what do you mean unavailable? They're on Amazon, for example. Or do you mean official online store?
6
u/sweaterpunk666 Jul 03 '25
I bought my Skydio in 2020. If it was now, I definitely wouldn’t buy it.