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Comment by Arch-TK | Hacker News Reader

Do these things still require your mobile phone number to use?

I recently got a DJI RS 3 and was deeply offended to discover it "supports up to five uses without activation. After that, activation is required for further use."

Activation is done through a smartphone app you must install that requests your location information and then you must create an account on DJI's website to complete the process.

I deeply resented the whole process and I'd bet the DJI Inspire 3 is just as obnoxious.

Are there open source firmwares for these drones?

I bought a cheap android phone to drive my drone specifically due to the mandatory chinese spyware app.

Does your phone not have any US spyware apps? Whom are you trying to protect yourself from, the country that has jurisdiction on you or the country that can't even extradite you.

Maybe he's trying to protect himself from a totalitarian dictatorship (that can do whatever it wants) and not from a democratically elected government, whose authority is constrained by independent courts, free media, fair elections and so on.

> a democratically elected government, whose authority is constrained by independent courts, free media, fair elections and so on.

Yeah yeah, something, something Iraq prisoners, Guantanamo bay.

But seriously, again, China can do jackshit to the person even if they have his entire life data, vs US if it finds certain word or conversation or searches related to certain term. I think it's foolish that people are afraid of Chinese spyware rather than being paranoid about every spyware.

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