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DJI is helping its drones go dark for ‘sensitive operations’

DJI says it is working on a new offline mode for customers who’re using drones for “sensitive operations.”

Some users appear concerned the drones and the footage they’re capturing may be vulnerable to snooping.

While this sounds an awful lot like a Peeping Tom mode, it’s likely to be connected to military usage.

Related: DJI Spark review

Recently, the US army decided it would stop using the Chinese firm’s drones. It claimed they were suffering from “an increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities with DJI products.”

The company told Digital Trends it had been working on the offline mode for several months, and will roll it out next month.

“We are creating a local data mode to address the needs of our enterprise customers, including public and private organisations that are using DJI technology to perform sensitive operations around the world,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI’s VP of policy and legal affairs.

Heightened needs

Currently, the drones connect to the internet via the mobile app, which enables updates to be downloaded and installed. It also brings the drones the latest maps of the intended flying area.

However, the new mode will disable that connection, aside from the ability to stream footage back to the drone.

DJI added that it “will provide added assurances for customers with heightened data security needs.”

For more information on filming with your drone, check out The Video Mode.

Does the security of your drone footage give you reason for concern? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.

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