DJI drone ban passes in U.S. House — 'Countering CCP Drones Act' would ban all DJI sales in U.S. if passed in Senate

DJI Mavic 3 drone
(Image credit: DJI)

The United States House of Representatives passed a ban on the future sale of DJI drones in the U.S. on Friday, making the DJI ban more likely than not. The "Countering CCP Drones Act" is part of the United States' 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (FY25 NDAA), a major piece of yearly legislation allotting defense spending for the coming year.

Drone maker DJI is based in China and controls over 70% of the world's drone market share, a combination that threatens U.S. lawmakers. As we first reported in April, 6% of DJI stock lies in the hands of Chinese state-owned businesses, which has led to fears of Chinese government backdoors, national security risks, and other fears of Chinese surveillance using the company's drones. And of course, there lies the more real concern for U.S. lawmakers that DJI's success would continue to strengthen the Chinese economy.

Elise Stefanik, the Republican representative from New York who sponsors the anti-DJI legislation, said of the drones, "DJI presents an unacceptable national security risk, and it is past time that drones made by Communist China are removed from America." Of course, this unacceptable risk has not seemed to faze the U.S. military and police complex, which generally favors use of the drones in law enforcement. DJI products have also been used in the Russian war against Ukraine, a use-case U.S. lawmakers fear though DJI has denounced all military use of its drones. 

The Countering CCP Drones Act, along with a scattering of other pet laws and culture war staples, is buried within the folds of this year's National Defense Authorization Act. The NDAA must be passed every year, though some political theater may delay its passage, and both houses of the United States Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) have moved the spending bill through its early phases. The House has fully passed the bill, including the Countering CCP Drones Act, and now we wait for the Senate to pass its version, so the two can be combined and signed into law by President Biden.

The current state of legislation would not prohibit the use of already purchased DJI drones in the United States, only the sale of DJI products in the U.S. Doing so would eliminate the most popular and highest-end drones used in the United States. The bill, while popular in Congress, still has a chance of being stopped. Concerned U.S. residents who disagree with the bill should contact their U.S. Senators and ask for the Countering CCP Drones Act to be dropped from the NDAA.

While not as direct an attack on China as some moves associated with the U.S.-China trade war over semiconductors, the DJI ban would follow a tradition of tariffs and bans against successful Chinese companies in the U.S. Most bans affect the most commercially successful companies and entities from operation in the U.S., though lawmakers claim the goal is safety rather than a trade conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently argued, "What we're focused on is only the most sensitive technology that could pose a threat to our security. We're not focused on cutting off trade, or for that matter containing or holding back China." 

Dallin Grimm
Contributing Writer

Dallin Grimm is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has been building and breaking computers since 2017, serving as the resident youngster at Tom's. From APUs to RGB, Dallin has a handle on all the latest tech news. 

  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    Even if the data were seen by Chinese intelligence there's very little use for the data if it's of public and open spaces, as that can be seen by any surveillance satellite and literal dollar store drone, or any of the other drone makers. Same goes for war use, you can build a Raspberry Pi drone or even use something as simple as a remote controlled helicopter or boat if you have line of sight.

    But the reason people buy DJI drones (I have one myself) is the same reason they buy Lenovo computers and OnePlus and other Chinese make smartphones: You get a lot for your money compared to Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, and American manufacturers. Also, many of the American drone manufacturers target commercial, industrial, and military uses, which is understandable as the profit margins are higher and pockets deeper, whereas DJI offers consumer price friendly models like the Mavic Mini which are under the 250g weight limit for licenses and the Avata FPV with miles long transmission ranges (since they ditched Wi-Fi transmission) for under $1000, a price range very much within the budget of anyone from hobbiests to farmers to small businesses and content creators, and you can buy them off the shelf today from stores and online, whereas American drones like Skydio you have to order from them which may not be a problem for government, commerical, and industries, but is for individuals.
    Reply
  • Loadedaxe
    This is getting ridiculous
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    But the reason people buy DJI drones (I have one myself) is the same reason they buy Lenovo computers and OnePlus and other Chinese make smartphones:
    I have a HolyStone specifically due to the overbearing geofencing in DJI.

    And Skydio specifically exited out of the consumer market, not that long ago. They were available on normal places like Amazon.
    (I considered one of those as well)
    Reply
  • ivan_vy
    this is another step in a string of nonsense bans targeted to chinese companies where the real reason behind is to protect the inferior American competitors (price : perf/benefit ratio) and hurting the consumer in the end.
    Protectionism at it finest. what's next? banning unfair chinese noodles?
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    ivan_vy said:
    this is another step in a string of nonsense bans targeted to chinese companies where the real reason behind is to protect the inferior American competitors (price:perf/benefit ratio) and hurting the consumer in the end.
    Protectionism at it finest. what's next? banning unfair chinese noodles?
    Interesting that none of the other Chinese drone manufacturers are a target of this.

    Maybe it IS just DJI and what they are doing.
    Reply
  • pixelpusher220
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    Even if the data were seen by Chinese intelligence there's very little use for the data if it's of public and open spaces, as that can be seen by any surveillance satellite and literal dollar store drone, or any of the other drone makers. Same goes for war use, you can build a Raspberry Pi drone or even use something as simple as a remote controlled helicopter or boat if you have line of sight.

    But the reason people buy DJI drones (I have one myself) is the same reason they buy Lenovo computers and OnePlus and other Chinese make smartphones: You get a lot for your money compared to Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, and American manufacturers. Also, many of the American drone manufacturers target commercial, industrial, and military uses, which is understandable as the profit margins are higher and pockets deeper, whereas DJI offers consumer price friendly models like the Mavic Mini which are under the 250g weight limit for licenses and the Avata FPV with miles long transmission ranges (since they ditched Wi-Fi transmission) for under $1000, a price range very much within the budget of anyone from hobbiests to farmers to small businesses and content creators, and you can buy them off the shelf today from stores and online, whereas American drones like Skydio you have to order from them which may not be a problem for government, commerical, and industries, but is for individuals.
    Fitbit users uploading their runs, disclosed locations of clandestine US military bases and patrol routes.

    Not found of full on bans, just need to be aware that lots of random data points can paint unexpected pictures.
    Reply
  • NinoPino
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    Even if the data were seen by Chinese intelligence there's very little use for the data if it's of public and open spaces, as that can be seen by any surveillance satellite and literal dollar store drone, or any of the other drone makers. ...
    Bans for China never was for security, was done from the beginning for economic purposes and nothing more.
    Reply
  • NinoPino
    USAFRet said:
    Interesting that none of the other Chinese drone manufacturers are a target of this.

    Maybe it IS just DJI and what they are doing.
    I suppose it is because DJI is the best Chinese manufacturer by market share and competitiveness.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    Since I doubt any of us here have read the full text of this ban from Congress, myself included, the Why is all speculation.
    Reply
  • usertests
    USAFRet said:
    Since I doubt any of us here have read the full text of this ban from Congress, myself included, the Why is all speculation.
    https://www.twz.com/air/mysterious-drones-swarmed-langley-afb-for-weeks
    If aliens aren't swarming over military bases (which would normally be inaccessible to consumer drones due to geofencing), maybe it's Chinese-made drones with a special firmware update. A spy only needs to pick one up from an American retailer, update it, and away they go.
    Reply