This proposed DJI Ban is serious and you need to act now!

Alright, so a couple of months ago, I made a video talking about how DJI was being banned here in Florida for use with Search and Rescue workers and law enforcement. In the video, I said if we weren't careful and didn't get out in front of things quickly enough, this could spread nationally. Fast forward to today and that is exactly what's happening. Other states have adopted similar policies to what Florida put into effect here. But even worse, there's now a ban being proposed by the House that could essentially ban DJI outright nationally. It's a real issue and we need to get out in front of that, which is what we're talking about in this video. Let's go.

I'm Ken here. You're watching Original Dobo. Let's just talk about this. This bill, it's got a name. It is Bill H6572. I'm actually looking at the bill here and I'll have a link down in the description below so you can see the drafting congressmen and congresswomen. It's Congresswoman Elise Stefanik out of New York and it was co-written by Mark Gallagher out of Wisconsin. They are the two members of Congress sponsoring this bill. Essentially, this bill aims to put DJI on the FCC covered list.

The reason why this bill, unlike other bills, is very serious, is because this has some actual potential to be pushed through to the next step, which is going on to the Senate.

As of right now, it's only being proposed, but it has to pass in the House to make its next step, which is the Senate before it goes to the consideration of the President's signature. Essentially, what they want to do is put DJI on this list, the same as Huawei was put on.

But the difference between Huawei and DJI is that Huawei got caught red-handed. Huawei got caught actually physically spying and putting modes of communication and espionage in their devices, which was a real situation that really did happen, and they were able to prove that.

But with DJI, DJI has been an open door. They've always had an open-door policy when it came to security, and it comes to researchers. Several independent researchers and firms have investigated DJI. Their one job is to deduce and showcase vulnerabilities or issues with specific pieces of technology.

All of the independent studies that have been done on DJI have proven that there is nothing nefarious happening; there's no modes of espionage or spying.

Unlike Huawei, DJI has a straightforward communication process. It's an operator controlling an aircraft, and that transmission process is from A to B, A being the operator, and B being the aircraft, and its information back and forth. Most of the information is going over DJI's own devices like their DJI Smart Controller. In most instances, these aircraft are not connected to an internet source to begin with.

A lot of this bill really stems from misinformation provided to these members of Congress. It's something that we keep seeing over and over. As you watch depositions of even TikTok and Facebook, these people that are elected into office have no idea about technology. It's almost like they're stuck in the Dark Ages. The fact that just because these devices are made in China doesn't automatically make them bad.

Now, I know that some of you will say, “Well, it's the CCP,” and so on. But that's like us saying, “Well, we're going to sell Skydio to another country,” even though it's backed and has backing from investors that have ties to our government. What makes our products any more valid than those in other Countries? I just don't understand that philosophy, and I don't think I ever will.

I literally look at products for what a product is. Here we are, I've been using DJI for over eight or nine years. And now, as the temperatures start heating up around the world, all of a sudden, this becomes an issue. It's never been an issue before, but now all of a sudden, politicians are like, “Oh yeah, these drones…”

They're just being brought up to speed, and that is why we're seeing more of a push, more of a ban across states and across the government as a whole. They're just now getting caught up to technology, and that's why we need to do the best we can to educate our politicians.

What can YOU do to stop the DJI ban?

So, what do you need to do? You need to reach out to these two members of Congress. I'll include some links down below so you can find their contact form. You need to express your dismay for this bill. Not only do you need to message these members of Congress, but you also need to find the local members of Congress in your region and send them a message. They need to know about this bill so they can get educated, and so, when this is proposed on the house floor, it can get struck down.

The last thing we want to have happen is for this to get pushed onto Senate, because once it gets to Senate, it becomes a lot more real. Then all it needs is that final vote to go to the president's desk, and without any hesitation, he's probably going to sign it. I don't even know if he knows what he's signing some days, but he will sign it.

So, we need to get out in front of it. That's what needs to happen. You need to message your members of Congress, your members of the Senate. We need to do a better job of reaching out to our local politicians and correcting the misinformation that they are continuously provided.

I would love nothing more than for there to be an American competitor. TRUST me, I would love to see that. But as of right now, that doesn't exist. By banning something that thousands, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people rely on, and that hundreds of thousands of service providers rely on, you're going to create a micro-economic fallout for those of us that use these products by effectively banning it. Do you realize that a lot of my livelihood stems from the use of these drones? People use them on properties for listing, and mapping. Think of how many people use DJI drones to map. Think about how many people use these drones for inspection purposes.

You're basically taking away their livelihood. Every single day, another right is being stripped away from consumers by our politicians. Are you going to sit there and allow these politicians to tell you what you can or cannot buy? I know I'm not going to allow it.

I'm going to be writing a letter to my congressmen and women. I'm going to be reaching out to my local senators. I'm not going to sit by anymore. This has to stop. We're supposed to have all these freedoms, but yet every day we wake up, another bill is being proposed to strip away the freedoms that we deserve, that we signed off on, that we agreed on. It's got to stop, and it has to stop today. It starts with you. It starts with me. Message your senators. Message your congressmen or women. Take action today. Do not wait until tomorrow. Fire those emails out. Flood their inboxes, and hopefully, with any luck, this bill can get squashed. We have to keep at it to prevent future bills just like this.

But here's a message for American drone manufacturers: if you don't like what's happening right now, step up to the table. If you want people to like your products, innovate. If you want people to purchase your products, show us what you can do.

So far, you've shown us nothing except for creating bills and putting roadblocks in the path of people who do good work each and every day.

Step up, put up, or stay silent. Stay original.

Guest post by Ken Dono.