DJI launches secure solution for government drone programmes

DJI has announced a new Government Edition - an integrated drone solution designed to meet the stringent information security and data privacy requirements of government agencies.

A number of government agencies around the world have voiced their concerns at possible data leaks or tracking of telemetry data in the past, and DJI has now responded with its new solution.

Government Edition is based on DJI's industry-leading drone hardware and is controlled by custom device firmware and operational software in a unique architecture that supports the highest data security requirements.

It means that drone data – including photos and videos captured during flight – never leave the drone and therefore can never be shared with unauthorised parties, including DJI.

Why has DJI Introduced Government Edition?

Drones have become an essential time-saving, safety increasing and revenue generating tool for a huge variety of organisations around the globe.

DJI Government Edition is designed to allow government agencies to take full advantage of drone technology while remaining in line with the often strict IT and data security rules they're operating under.

All of the telemetry data generated by the DJI drone during its flight are only ever stored locally.

This gives government organisations complete control of their entire data set, while ensuring that this sensitive data is only accessed by them and not any third parties.

This finally resolves some of the stumbling blocks that government organisations have experienced when attempting to launch or grow their drone programme using off-the-shelf drones and components.

What are the benefits of using DJI Government Edition?

• Drones do not require activation via DJI servers.

• Drones and remote controllers ship with custom private firmware already installed.

• Drones or remote controllers cannot be "paired" with off-the-shelf components, significantly reducing the risk of inadvertent or malicious data breaches.

• New custom DJI Pilot App with Local Data Mode permanently active, preventing any connection to DJI servers.

• Custom upgrade paths to limit the potential impact on operations.

Heliguy has contacted DJI for more information on the Government Edition. Keep checking for updates.