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Comment by Fb24k

4 months ago

Stuff like this is is part of the reason the US DoD banned DJI drone usage in 2020, looks like the ban will likely extend to all federal agencies this year: https://www.govtech.com/em/emergency-blogs/disaster-zone/fed...

14 comments

Fb24k

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throwaway4good  4 months ago

It is pretty standard stuff to obfuscate your code when you distribute your app to a phone to protect against decompiling and sometimes just to save space.

  • luma  4 months ago

    It's also pretty standard stuff to obfuscate your code when you're doing something dirty. The problem with obfuscation is that, for the end user, there's not a great way to determine which use case the developer had in mind which means one should probably approach such an application with extreme caution.

    • dev1ycan  4 months ago

      mommyyy dji didn't upload their source code to github so we could clone it then ban them on the grounds of national security, mooooom!!1

      I'm sure TSMC also not bringing their latest node tech to their US fabs also happens to be because they're doing something dirty! oh wait, corporations want to protect their IP, and countries have time and time again proven that they're willing to enter the private business to give their country an edge.

makeitdouble  4 months ago

That ban wouldn't be lifted if DJI rrleased all their source code, showed their belly and wagged their tail.

I mean, the central point is straight where everyone's focusing:

> But broadly speaking, U.S. drone makers say they expect to see a sales bump this year even though the new ban on federal purchases is not yet in effect.

dontlaugh  4 months ago

The actual reason is jingoism, regardless of excuse.

  • dan-0  4 months ago

    Oh come on. It definitely couldn't be that it's surveillance technology produced in a country known on a massive scale for stealing information via electronic means, especially against the US, right?

    Your statement reflects little knowledge on US national defense matters, shows a lack of knowledge about the technology, ignores recent historical knowledge of China's hacking efforts against the US, and provides zero information to back up your claim.