[Cryptography] DJI calls for drone IFF

[Jerry Leichter]

> Section 2202 of the 2016 FAA Extension Act contemplates the development of remote
> identification technologies for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)....
> The first use of DJI's "identification code" will be for law enforcement to snoop.
Snoop on *what* exactly?  The location of your drone?  The signal being sent by your drone?
 
> The second use of DJI's identification code will be for resale to advertising companies.
So that they can send ads ... where exactly?  If I fly my drone over McDonald's I'll get ads from Burger King?  This makes little sense.

> The third use of DJI's identification code will be for law enforcement targeting -- e.g., for miniature missiles and/or lasers to automatically destroy your drone.
Why would they care to destroy *your* drone specifically, as opposed to "the (anonymous) drone that's flying over the White House"?  Just to piss you off?  They can piss you off much more effectively already.

> The fourth use of DJI's identification code" will be for hackers to allow their drone
> to pretend to be your drone, so that you will be "swatted" when the hacker's drone
> dones something illegal.
While SIM cards can be cloned, SIM card cloning has not represented a significant attack - and cloning a SIM card has significant monetary value, beyond any "hacking for the lulls" value.

Sorry, these complaints make little sense to me.  We consented long ago to put license plates on cars because they are capable of doing significant damage and without plates identifying which car did the damage would be very difficult.  Drones have similar potential to do similar damage.

I just don't see a pressing need to have the ability to fly drones anonymously.  Do you have use cases that are significant enough to outweigh the potential abuses?

As you noted later in the quote, Denmark is one country already mandating this technology.  Freedom House ranks Denmark as one of the most free countries in the world.  There are a bunch of other rankings out there, depending on what exactly you want to measure, but Denmark always scores high.  Even that paragon of libertarian economic thought the Cato Institute ranks them as 5th.  Apparently there are many who believe that "freedom" and "you have to identify your drones" are compatible....

                                                        -- Jerry