Lawsuits, bans, privacy fights, and the case law being written around drones.
I’ve been going through the FCC’s official order and their accompanying Fact Sheet on foreign drones. The FCC created a deliberate gap in their ban that allows existing products to stay on shelves. But the gap between regulatory permission and practical enforcement at the border could cause real problems. Here’s what you need to know. What the…
We’ve been tracking the December 23 deadline for months, expecting DJI to land on the FCC’s Covered List through bureaucratic default. What the FCC actually did today goes far beyond anything we predicted. They didn’t just ban DJI. They banned all foreign-made drones and critical components. Every single one. And they did it in the…
Two senators are pressing major construction contractors about DJI drone use at nuclear facilities and border security sites. The letters follow GSA Inspector General findings that contractors used DJI equipment at sensitive locations. But the real question isn’t whether the drones were secure. It’s whether the contractors had legal authorization to use them at all.…
I’ve been watching Connecticut’s agriculture drone bill since it first appeared in March. Now it’s law, and the timing couldn’t be more ironic: Connecticut just legalized agricultural drone spraying six days before the FCC’s December 23 deadline could ban the very equipment farmers need to use it. Here’s what you need to know: The law…
We’ve been tracking Paladin Drones’ rapid expansion across police and fire departments for over a year, but court documents filed in late October allege explosive internal turmoil at the Y Combinator-backed emergency response drone company, including accusations of corporate sabotage, an attempted leadership coup, and shouting matches between executives. According to Law360, Houston-based Paladin
We’ve tracked counter-drone legislation for years, but the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) changes everything for every drone pilot in America. The bill passed the House 312-112 on December 10 and awaits final Senate action this week before President Trump’s expected signature. For the first time, it creates a federal framework allowing certain…
Somewhere above a quiet Chicago railyard, a drone was doing its job, watching patiently, humming softly, and absolutely not impressed by what it was about to see. Early in the morning on December 5, while most of the city was asleep and a few insomniacs were still debating late night snacks, a railroad operated drone…
We’ve been tracking Terra Drone’s aggressive global expansion for years, but this week the world’s largest industrial drone service provider faces its darkest chapter. A fire at the company’s Jakarta office killed 22 employees on Tuesday, and Indonesian police have now arrested CEO Michael Wisnu Wardhana on negligence charges that could result in life imprisonment.…
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