The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones • Hacker News Board

Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

#211

Post by skeeter2020 » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:35 PM UTC

efnx wrote: post #68

stickfigure wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump will be gone in 3 years. Maybe fewer depending on his health. It's unlikely that this change will have any meaningful effect on US democracy. On the other hand, little drones are effectively munitions now. That means drone manufacturing capacity is effectively munitions manufacturing capacity. We're giving potential adversaries economies of scale building things that may be used to kill us. I'm generally a pret…

I don’t know if we should be so sure that he will be gone in three years. There is no incentive for him to relinquish control peacefully. We’ll have to give him a plea bargain, or a pardon of sorts, to incentivise him stepping down. Without one his back will be against a wall (or iron bars in this case), and he will gladly escalate to stay in power to avoid incarceration.

I'm far more concerned with the younger, smarter and just as evil minnions who are currently learning from the master how naked & deep the corruption can go without consequence. President Vance and VP Rubio may be less shocking but could be even worse for everyone.

Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

#212

Post by bethekidyouwant » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:35 PM UTC

lazide wrote: post #190

bethekidyouwant wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where is the ban of cheap motors, escs, cameras, radios from aliexpress? How does this affect hobby drone market at all?

Based on the article, it says it also bans motors, controllers, etc. pretty much all major parts.

Wow, the title of the article really buries the lead as this is a much bigger deal than banning new versions of fully assembled drones made by a Chinese company.

I can’t even think of another country that makes 4S Lipo batteries or the motors or the ESC’s or the VTX or the GPS module..

Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

#213

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:36 PM UTC

showerst wrote: post #14

I'm in favor of tighter regulation on drone imports, both for national security reasons and to try to jumpstart a US drone industry. Not allowing _any_ foreign made components, however, is insane, as is not even auditing DJI when they didn't put up a fight. They have to know they're just killing the small drone industry completely.

[deleted]

Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

#214

Post by alex43578 » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:36 PM UTC

goatlover wrote: post #167

alex43578 wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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Law enforcement is trained not to shoot at a moving vehicle because you risk public safety if the driver is incapacitated. Also LE is trained not to put themselves in front or back of the vehicle, since you can get run over that way. Agent Jonathan Ross did not follow his training, despite being dragged by a vehicle months earlier. You also have to ask why Renee Good decided to leave her wife behind who tried to get…

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Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

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Post by Alex2037 » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:37 PM UTC

goatlover wrote: post #75

Alex2037 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>And all comments critical of the current regime are getting downvoted on HN. there's always r/politics

HN isn't reddit.

that's exactly what I meant.

Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

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Post by alex43578 » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:38 PM UTC

leptons wrote: post #146

alex43578 wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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He pulled his gun out before she moved the car anywhere . He was already intending to shoot her.

You do know that’s a lie easily refuted by all the video evidence, right?

Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

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Post by skeeter2020 » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:38 PM UTC

aardvarkr wrote: post #70

jayd16 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That logic also means they shouldn't be banned under 2nd amendment protections, no?

No, you can think of them more like unarmed artillery shells. Can you walk down the street to buy some artillery munitions? Even if they were considered arms for the purpose of 2a this isn’t a ban on drones but a specific manufacturer. They government can definitely refuse to grant a manufacturer license to sell on this country.

>> Can you walk down the street to buy some artillery munitions?

No I need to go to a flea market for that.

It's not a specific manufacturer; it will impact US-made drones too, and based on how it's being rolled out is intended to shut down decent quality, inexpensive and easily-acquired drown sales - exactly what say, a journalist might want.

Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

#218

Post by techjamie » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:38 PM UTC

jameshart wrote: post #150

aeternum wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah yes I'm sure it has nothing to do with the drones running closed proprietary software via OTA updates, with encrypted data connections back to China, while being outfitted with 8k cameras, gps, lidar, etc.

Much like the TikTok ban this seems like something that could be handled through actually regulating what tech companies are allowed to do , rather than just picking on specific products and saying ‘stop that, it’s making us nervous’. Federal laws about data collection and retention, export, and algorithmic usage… as well as laws about software update channels for hardware devices, eg requiring that it be possible to…

We're too busy taking car companies' lines that it's reasonable they don't want people going to a local mechanic because "The data your car collected on you might get hacked and sent to China!" rather than asking "What are cars doing collecting this data, if it's such a risk?"

Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

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Post by mikkupikku » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:39 PM UTC

joe_mamba wrote: post #166

ceejayoz wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When has American done enough to fight Ukraine’s war for them? I'm inclined to think Ukraine is fighting our war for us. The 1980s Cold Warriors would've been flabbergasted at how cheap taking out the Russian military at the knees would wind up being.

It was 30 years of rot, neglect, theft and corruption that did the majority of the damage to Russia's post-USSR military. The army they have today in Ukraine is only a fraction of what they were capable of in the 1980s.

Don't forget, they choked on Afghanistan too.

Re: The U.S. Government Just Followed Through on Its Ban of DJI Drones

#220

Post by kevin42 » Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:39 PM UTC

"And with no American-made drones comparable to the category leaders, it’ll be a while before any company steps up to offer one."

The problem is that it would be extremely risky for a US company to spin up a comparable US built drone. Even if they can match the price/quality point, at any given time the government could remove the ban, killing the entire business model.