Skip to main content

New DJI feature lets some drone pilots fly with more privacy

DJI Phantom 4 Pro+
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
DJI has followed through on its recent promise to provide an offline mode to enhance privacy for drone pilots wishing to use its machines for what it describes as “sensitive” operations.

Aimed primarily at the company’s enterprise and government customers, the launch of the “Local Data Mode” follows a decision by the United States Army in August to stop using DJI’s machines for its work because of “an increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities with DJI products,” according to an internal memo seen by sUAS News. DJI hopes the new mode will restore confidence in its products among organizations such as the Army.

DJI told Digital Trends in August that it had been working on the feature for “several months,” though confirmed it had “accelerated that effort” in a bid to launch the feature by the end of September.

The new feature can be downloaded as part of the latest update on the DJI Pilot app on CrystalSky and for select Android devices. iOS users will have to wait longer for the new mode.

Activating it will immediately prevent the drone app from sending or receiving any data over the internet. This means the DJI Pilot app will be unable to detect the pilot’s location or indicate map and geofencing information such as No Fly Zones and temporary flight restrictions, DJI said. It’ll also be unable to notify the drone owner of any firmware updates until the system is reconnected to the internet.

The pilot will still be able to receive live video streamed from the drone’s camera, but the stream won’t be able to travel beyond the controller. In addition, whether or not Local Data Mode is activated, media such as photos and videos captured by the drone will remain on its SD card, with the owner free to choose how — or even if — they share the data with others.

DJI’s Brendan Schulman said his company had created the new privacy 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,” adding that the Chinese company 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.”

Now DJI will be watching to see if it’s done enough to allay the concerns of enterprise and government customers in a highly competitive market that is of growing value to drone makers around the world.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
DJI could drop a new drone this week. Here’s what to expect
dji could drop a new drone this week heres what to expect air 2s pre launch photo

Though not confirmed by the company itself, DJI is expected to unveil an update to its popular Mavic Air 2 drone this week.

The new drone is expected to be called the Air 2S, and while the name suggests an incremental update rather than a major design overhaul, there will still be some notable improvements. The news comes courtesy of OsitaLV, a reliable leaker who called it right with, for example, DJI’s FPV drone and the Osmo Pocket 2 camera.

Read more
Watch the new DJI FPV drone whiz between trees (until it doesn’t)
djis new fpv drone takes on trees and the won dji test flight

DJI recently launched its first FPV drone, a machine that can zip from zero to 60 mph in a mere two seconds before hurtling to a top speed of 87 mph.

Drone pilots across the experience spectrum have already been posting their first flights online, with some clearly more daring than others when it comes to taking on tricky obstacles.

Read more
DJI FPV drone accelerates faster than a Tesla Model S. Yeah, it’s that quick
DJI FPV drone

Talk about leaving the competition behind! DJI’s latest drone is its fastest flying consumer drone to date, easily capable of beating the Tesla Model S on paper when it comes to acceleration. The DJI FPV has a max acceleration of 0 to 62mph in two seconds. Let that sink in for a moment. It’s a drone that accelerates faster than a car! That alone might be enough for you to buy one, but there’s still plenty more for content creators to salivate over because this new drone opens up exploration opportunities for seasoned pilots who want to expand their aerial videography.

FPV drones in general are fast and furious, often reaching incredible speeds and acceleration levels to keep up with moving subjects. The DJI FPV blends finesse and performance into one package that includes the FPV Goggles V2, remote controller 2, the drone itself, and the never-before-seen Motion Controller. This isn’t particularly targeted for beginners, since flying an FPV drone is a very different experience from past DJI consumer drones, like the Mini 2 and Mavic Air 2

Read more