Technology

DJI sues the US Department of Defense for labeling it a ‘Chinese Military Company’

Published

3 months ago

October 19, 2024

DJI sues the US Department of Defense for labeling it a ‘Chinese Military Company’

DJI, the world’s largest drone company, is suing to avoid being seen as a tool of the Chinese government. On Friday, it sued the US Department of Defense to delete its name from a list of “Chinese Military Companies,” claiming it has no such relationship to Chinese authorities and has suffered unfairly as a result of that designation.

Since DJI was added to that list in 2022, the company claims, it has “lost business deals, been stigmatized as a national security threat, and been banned from contracting with multiple federal government agencies,” and that its employees “now suffer frequent and pervasive stigmatization” and are “repeatedly harassed and insulted in public places.”

It also alleges that the DoD would not offer the company any explanation for its designation as a “Chinese Military Company” until DJI threatened a lawsuit this September, and claims that when the DoD finally offered up its reasoning, it was filled with errors.

The US Department of Defense didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. You can read DJI’s full argument that it’s not owned or controlled by the Chinese military in the complaint below:

Regardless of whether the DoD has enough evidence to label DJI this way, it’s far from the only US government entity that’s been inclined to restrict and scrutinize the company over possible ties to the Chinese government. The US Army asked units to stop using DJI drones as early as 2017. In 2019, the US Interior Department grounded its fleet of DJI drones over spying risks.

In 2020, the US Department of Commerce added DJI to its Entity List, banning US companies from exporting technology to DJI after it “enabled wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic collection and analysis or high-technology surveillance.”

In 2021, the US Treasury added DJI to its list of Non-SDN Chinese Military Industrial Complex Companies, writing that it had provided drones to the Chinese government so it could conduct surveillance of Uyghurs, and suggesting that DJI was complicit in serious human rights abuse as a result.

Some US government entities were restricted from buying new DJI drones following these various actions. And this past week, DJI reported that some of its drones have been blocked by US customs using the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act as justification.

In its defense, DJI has repeatedly claimed it isn’t owned or controlled by the Chinese government, that it’s had “nothing to do with treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang,” that it’s simply selling drones that may be used for various purposes that are out of its control afterwards, that many of those purposes have helped entities (including first responders) in the United States, and that independent audits by consulting firms and US government agencies (including the DoD) have found no security threats.

While DJI does admit in the complaint that two Chinese state-owned investment funds did make minority investments in the company, it claims the Shanghai Free Trade Zone Equity Fund has “less than 1% of DJI’s shares and less than 0.1% of DJI’s voting rights,” and that the Chengtong Fund ended its investment in June 2023.

(DJI says just four people control 99 percent of DJI and own 87 percent of its shares — DJI founder and early employees Frank Wang, Henry Lu, Swift Xie, and Li Zexiang.)

Congress is currently considering a complete import ban of new DJI drones and other equipment in the United States by suggesting they pose a natural security risk — though that ban is currently on ice. While the House of Representatives did approve it after it was tacked onto the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, the Senate’s version of the bill doesn’t currently contain the ban (though it might still add it back).

But until the US customs hold-up, which DJI is suggesting is just a misunderstanding, the US government hadn’t taken any actions that would keep stores from importing drones, consumers from buying them, or individual pilots from flying them in the United States. Even should Congress ban new DJI drones from being sold, the proposed text of those bills suggests existing owners could keep flying the ones they own.

Technology

This wildfire evacuation alert accidentally went out to everyone in LA

Published

4 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

This wildfire evacuation alert accidentally went out to everyone in LA

After two days of dealing with wildfires that have burned thousands of acres, residents across Los Angeles County received a wildfire evacuation alert on Thursday afternoon that was a mistake. Shortly after, officials sent a follow-up alert saying that the notice was intended only for people near the Kenneth Fire in Woodland Hills.

Los Angeles County shared a message on X explaining what happened: “An evacuation order for residents near the Kenneth Fire currently burning in West Hills was mistakenly issued Countywide. This alert was only intended for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills.”

CBS News quotes a local official who said that the alert, which included a broken URL, was sent “due to a technical error.”

This is the alert to disregard the other evacuation warning.

Image: The Verge

Many wildfires are burning in the LA area, and officials have confirmed at least six deaths, CNN reports. LA County has a population of nearly 10 million people, which is the “largest population of any county in the nation,” according to the county’s website.

Technology

Solar device transforms used tires to help purify water so that it's drinkable

Published

4 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Solar device transforms used tires to help purify water so that it's drinkable

Imagine a world where clean drinking water is readily available even in the most remote areas.

This vision is becoming a reality thanks to innovative research from scientists in Canada.

A team of scientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has developed a groundbreaking device that could revolutionize water desalination, offering hope to millions facing water scarcity worldwide.

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Floating solar still process (Dalhousie University)

The power of plasmonic solar stills

At the heart of this innovation is a floating solar still, a device that harnesses the sun’s energy to purify seawater.

Dr. Mita Dasog, an associate professor of chemistry and Killam Memorial chair at Dalhousie, explains the science behind it: “Refractory plasmonic nanomaterials are very good at capturing light and converting that light into heat.”

This principle forms the foundation of their ingenious design. The solar still, conceptualized by Dr. Matthew Margeson during his Ph.D. studies, addresses challenges that have long plagued similar devices. It minimizes thermal losses, prevents salt buildup and can withstand harsh maritime conditions.

Researcher pictured next to floating solar still (Matthew J. Margeson)

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How it works

The floating solar still operates through an elegantly simple yet highly effective process. First, ocean water is drawn up to the device’s foam surface through a wicking system. Once the water reaches the surface, it is evaporated by solar-heated plasmonic materials. As the water vapor rises, the salt is left behind, ensuring that only purified water is collected. The vapor then recondenses on a clear plastic dome situated above the device. Finally, the purified water is funneled down the sides of the dome and collected in a sealed bag for easy access.

The results of this process are impressive. In real-world tests conducted in Halifax Harbour, the device produced up to 0.97 gallons of clean water daily, which was a record-breaking yield for passive floating solar stills.

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Floating solar still process (Dalhousie University)

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Upcycling for sustainability

What sets this device apart is its use of unconventional materials. Instead of relying on expensive precious metals, the team turned to an unlikely source: used tires. Through a process called pyrolysis, carbon waste from tires is transformed into a crucial component of the desalination unit.

Dr. Dasog emphasizes the importance of accessibility: “We shouldn’t be making an expensive or very complicated device. It has to be easy to manufacture, last for a long time and be easy to take apart and move.” This approach not only makes the technology more affordable but also addresses the environmental issue of tire waste.

Floating solar still process (Dalhousie University)

THE SHAPE-SHIFTING UNDERWATER ROBOT PIONEERING THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA

Affordable water purification and energy generation in one device

The device’s capabilities extend beyond water purification. It can simultaneously desalinate, disinfect and decontaminate water at a remarkably low cost: less than one cent per liter. It can also generate a small amount of thermoelectricity, potentially powering onboard water quality sensors.

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Looking ahead

The team’s next step is to conduct further testing in South Asia, with the ultimate goal of making the device available worldwide. Dasog, nominated for the Emerging Leader award at the Water Canada Summit, envisions the device as a lifeline for communities displaced by war or climate change.

Kurt’s key takeaways

As we tackle the growing challenges of water security, innovations like the plasmonic solar still shine a light of hope. By blending cutting-edge science with sustainable materials, the researchers at Dalhousie University are doing more than just purifying water; they’re paving the way for a future that is both equitable and resourceful. This device not only makes clean drinking water accessible but also highlights how we can use renewable energy sources to address pressing global issues.

If the sun could power one solution to improve human life, what would you want it to be? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

X launches Grok’s iPhone app in the US

Published

11 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

xAI has released an iOS app in the US for its Grok chatbot, as spotted earlier by TechCrunch. The standalone app version of the chatbot, which xAI calls a beta, can perform the same functions as the one built into X, as it can field real-time information, answer questions, and generate images.

xAI started testing Grok’s standalone iOS app in December in a handful of countries. There’s no word on when it may come to Android.

Though Grok was initially only available to X Premium subscribers, the platform started letting all users access the chatbot last month, bringing it in line with other free-to-use chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.

As pointed out by TechCrunch, it seems xAI is also working on a dedicated Grok.com website that currently has a “coming soon” message on it. After raising $6 billion in June, xAI reported another $6 billion funding round, including from “strategic investors” like Nvidia and AMD.