The U.S. has been approaching this particular decoupling from the People’s Republic of China for years.
By 2019, the Department of Homeland Security was voicing “ ‘strong concerns’ that Chinese-made drones are stealing data.”
In July 2022, the U.S. House passed an Unmanned Aerial Security Act “To prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from operating or procuring certain foreign-made unmanned aircraft systems.” The bill died in the U.S. Senate.
In September 2024, the U.S. House passed a Countering CCP Drones Act to require a broader ban by the Federal Communications Commission on China-made drones. The bill died in the U.S. Senate.
Now, though, we are on the cusp.
Action
The FCC has banned “the import and sale of all new drone models and critical equipment made by foreign manufacturers, including the world’s largest drone maker DJI, by adding them into a so-called ‘Covered List’ of entities deemed to ‘pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States’ ” (CNN, December 23, 2025).
Excluded from the ban are already approved drone purchases and all the Chinese-made drones already flying around in this country, doing whatever they’re doing in addition to whatever their owners have them doing.
DJI has expressed disappointment over the decision, which could also irk many drone users in the country. DJI alone commands about 70% of the global market, according to data from market research firm Research and Markets. Beyond public sector use, Chinese drones have been widely deployed across the US for tasks including infrastructure and construction inspections, crop monitoring, as well as professional and hobbyist videographers.
In June, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to accelerate the commercialization of drone technologies and scale up domestic drone production “against foreign control or exploitation.”
“President Trump has been clear that his Administration will act to secure our airspace and unleash American drone dominance,” said FCC Chair Brendan Carr on X Monday.
“We do so through an action today that does not disrupt the ongoing use or purchase of previously authorized drones and with appropriate avenues for excluding drones that do not pose a risk,” he added.
Associated Press reports that the FCC announcement “came a year after Congress passed a defense bill that raised national security concerns about Chinese-made drones, which have become a dominant player in the U.S., widely used in farming, mapping, law enforcement and filmmaking.”
Not just Chinese drone makers are affected. The FCC’s review “found that all drones and critical components produced in foreign countries, not just by the two Chinese companies, posed ‘unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons.’ But it said specific drones or components would be exempt if the Pentagon or Department of Homeland Security determined they did not pose such risks.”
Erroneous
Top Chinese drone maker DJI is upset. The Chinese foreign ministry is upset. A spokesman says: “The U.S. should correct its erroneous practices and provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies to operate.” We’d like the People’s Republic of China to give up its own erroneous practices first.
In 2019, UAV Coach was saying that you simply need to change a few settings if you’re using a DJI drone and wish to ensure that it’s not sending any data to China.
But if the CCP can spy on us and steal data using the drones, perhaps something more than toggling the most obvious settings may be required to deactivate the capability.
Also see:
StoptheCCP.org: Drone, Drone on the Range
