The US bans sales of foreign-made drones, DJI most affected

The oft-rumored ban of DJI drones in the US has now become reality, but the US government hasn't just banned sales of DJI drones. Instead, all foreign-made drones and their components are now banned in the country. Obviously, DJI is the most impacted in the consumer market, though.

The FCC says several security agencies have determined that drones and their critical components produced in foreign countries pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the US.

Only new sales are affected, so if you have a foreign-made drone already, you can still use it. Furthermore, retailers can keep selling the units that have been approved by the FCC, the ban only applies to upcoming models. In the future, the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security can allow specific new models as well.

DJI says its products "are among the safest and most secure on the market, supported by years of reviews conducted by US government agencies and independent third parties", and "concerns about DJI's data security have not been grounded in evidence and instead reflect protectionism, contrary to the principles of an open market".