Chinese drone company DJI has updated its policies, saying it will not longer employ geofencing to prevent drones from flying in restricted airspace.

Until now, DJI was voluntarily using built-in geofencing to prevent its drones from operating over No-Fly Zones, such as the White House, government buildings, prisons, power plants, and runways. The geofencing would also prevent the drones from flying over public emergencies, such as the LA wildfires.

DJI says a new update will now warn users of No-Fly Zones instead of enforcing them.

With this update, DJI’s Fly and Pilot flight app operators will see prior DJI geofencing datasets replaced to display official Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. Areas previously defined as Restricted Zones (also known as No-Fly Zones) will be displayed as Enhanced Warning Zones, aligning with the FAA’s designated areas. In these zones, in-app alerts will notify operators flying near FAA designated controlled airspace, placing control back in the hands of the drone operators, in line with regulatory principles of the operator bearing final responsibility.

DJI says it is making the decision due to advancing regulation and drones become more widespread.

When DJI first introduced the GEO system in 2013, consumer drones were still a relatively novel technology, and formal drone flight rules and regulations were sparse. The geofencing system was created as a voluntary built-in safety feature to help foster responsible flight practices and prevent DJI drone operators from unintentionally flying in restricted airspace, such as around government buildings, airports, or prisons.

Since then, global regulations and user awareness have evolved significantly, with a greater focus on geo-awareness and Remote ID solutions which makes detection and enforcement much easier. National aviation authorities, including the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) in the EU, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and the FAA in the U.S., have established comprehensive geographical zones for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and enforce drone regulations.

DJI says its new update, in which No-Fly Zones are not enforced, has been active in other countries since the beginning of 2024, but is just now rolling out to US customers. The company reminds users to obey the law and consult with the FAA in order to comply with No-Fly and No Drone Zones.

DJI reminds pilots to always ensure flights are conducted safely and in accordance with all local laws and regulations. For flights conducted in Enhanced Warning Zones, drone operators must obtain airspace authorization directly from the FAA and consult the FAA’s No Drone Zone resource for further information.

Interestingly, a DJI drone was just involved in an incident in which it interfered with firefighters’ efforts to combat the LA wildfires, colliding with and damaging a Super Scooper plane used to drop water on the fires. The incident serves as a stark example of why DJI’s plan is likely to backfire in a spectacular fashion.

The Political Angle

The timing of DJI’s changing policy is also interesting from a political standpoint. The company has increasingly been the target of regulations and legislation aimed at prohibiting the sale of its drones within the US over national security concerns.

“The new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency report makes clear that Communist Chinese drones present a legitimate national security risk to our critical infrastructure and must be banned from the U.S.,” said representatives Elise Stefanik and Mike Gallagher, said the co-authors of the Countering CCP Drones Act. “The CCP has subsidized drone companies such as DJI and Autel in order to destroy American competition and spy on America’s critical infrastructure sites. We must ban CCP-backed spy drones from America and work to bolster the U.S. drone industry.”

DJI’s decision is a perplexing one from a company who’s fate is on the chopping block in the US. Conventional wisdom would suggest the company would be doing everything possible to appease lawmakers. Instead, DJI is doubling down on the very thing that is already a concern for lawmakers and first-responders alike.