This is an old revision of the document!
Now that we have the introductions out of the way, its time for a story.
Once upon a time
However
DJI customers have started to distrust DJI based on a number of factors…
Control
DJI implemented “GEO” in the name of safety which restrict flying by operators who have legal permission to fly in areas that are marked by DJI as “No Fly Zones”
Unlock processes are cumbersome and time consuming. In many countries, requests to unlock need to be made weeks in advance by email.
This cumbersome process is impacting commercial operators.
Owners are unhappy with the changes made by DJI. Some have worked to bypass these restrictions through reverse engineering and modification of DJI software.
Plagarism
Data Leakage
Back Doors
It has been found that the DJI GO application for both Android and IOS have back-doors allowing DJI to “hot patch” applications in a manner that breaches the rules imposed on DJI by both Google and Apple.
The practice of hot patching essentially allows DJI to totally change the functionality of the DJI go application without the knowledge or consent of a pilot.
Putting this into a different context, hot patching is the equivalent of the avionics of an aircraft being totally replaced mid flight.
Censorship
In DJI forums, it is against the rules to criticise DJI, or to talk about reverse engineering of DJI software.
In third party forums sponsored by DJI, similar censorship is taking place for those that discuss topics that are not endorsed by DJI.
Safety
DJI has recently rushing out multiple updates and patches to prevent reverse engineering.
These botched changes have caused unstable flight for many pilots.
Mobile phone manufacturers have failed to win a “war of attrition” with the jailbreak community.
Safety will be the loser in the war between DJI and the community.
Position
Control: We believe that DJI does not have jurisdiction to decide where and how pilots fly their aircraft. Local regulators have authority through their laws. DJI systems should not impose mandatory lockouts of aircraft, unless doing so is mandated by the laws of a country where DJI products are being used.
Plagarism: We believe that the use of open source code without attributing that code and complying with license conditions is unethical.
Data leakage: We believe that aircraft control systems need to be dedicated to the process of flying an aircraft, with external connectivity being minimised to allow the application to be free of potential security, privacy, and stability problems.
Back Doors: We believe that aircraft control systems should be free of any back-doors that allow modification of the functionality of those systems without the knowledge or consent of the pilot, including forced updates.
Censorship: We believe that censorship in DJI forums and other DJI sponsored forums is ultimately harmful to DJI and the community. Listening and responding to customer grievances and concerns can only result in a better product that meet the needs of DJI customers.
Safety: We believe that the loser in the arms race with rapidly released patches will be safety. We believe that the best approach is to be collaborative and open in future development, which will allow the community to peer review proposed changes and find problems before they cause safety issues.
Conclusion
It is fair to say that this whole community started as a result of a lack of trust in DJI. We have stated our position. It is our hope that DJI will listen to the community, and respond in a way that will benefit DJI and its clients.
Long Live the Original Gangsters