The Drone Advocacy Alliance is a lobbying group for manufacturers and sellers of drones which opposes proposed restrictions on the usage and ownership of Chinese-made drones by the federal government.

While the group has domestic drone users as members, the Chinese drone manufacturer DJI, which has the most drone sales in the U.S., took the lead in forming and leading the group. ¹

In May 2024, two Republican members of Congress demanded the U.S. Justice Department investigate the group for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) alleging that the company was part of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-led disinformation and propaganda campaign targeting Americans. ²

Background

Chinese drone manufacturer DJI Technologies, which has most drone sales in the United States, along with the Drone Service Providers Alliance, Blue Nose Aerial Imaging, Dronelink, DroneSense, and the Pilot Institute (most of which use DJI drones in their work), formed the Drone Advocacy Alliance in July 2023 to oppose proposed restrictions on Chinese-made drones. The Uncrewed Trade Alliance also took part in the creation of the group. Notably, Chinese drone manufacturer Autel, also targeted for drone bans, did not take part in the group. ³

The Drone Advocacy Alliance’s main rival in drone policy is the American Drone Alliance, which is the trade group of American drone manufacturers. ⁴

In June 2024, Drone XL, a website that covers the drone industry and hobbyists, announced a partnership with the group. The website claims that it joined the group because it supports fostering competition and innovation in the U.S. drone industry, and it wants to safeguard the rights of drone users in the face of potential market restrictions. ⁵

DJI  Technologies

Chinese drone manufacturer DJI Technologies sponsors the Drone Advocacy Alliance and maintains the group’s website. ⁶

The U.S. government and multiple state governments had legislation pending as of January 2024 that would heavily restrict or ban the use of Chinese-made drones. Chinese drones are the most popular with American drone users due to the lack of inexpensive American-made drones.  ⁷

The group’s website has a form where users could contact members of Congress and urge them to oppose bans on Chinese drones. ⁸

FARA Criticism

In May 2024, U.S. Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY) John Moolenaar (R-MI) wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to investigate the Drone Advocacy Alliance for alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Stefanik was the lead sponsor of two bills targeting Chinese drones. One bill would ban Chinese drones from running on FCC infrastructure and another would place a tariff on Chinese drones and use the money collected to award grants to first responders to buy drones from a different manufacturer. ⁹

The two Representatives alleged that the Drone Advocacy Alliance was running a Chinese Communist Party-led disinformation and propaganda targeting Americans and that met the threshold for a FARA investigation for violations. The Congressmen also pointed out DJI’s presence on Treasury and Defense Department entity lists of companies linked to the Chinese military industrial complex. ¹⁰

National Defense Authorization Act

In June 2024, the U.S. House passed a ban on Chinese drones as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). DJI Technologies responded by directing their customers to the Drone Advocacy Alliance and urged them to contact Senators to oppose the proposed ban. ¹¹

1. Crumley, Bruce. “DJI Assumes Outsize Role in New Anti-Blacklist Drone Advocacy Alliance Lobby.” DroneDJ, July 13, 2023. https://dronedj.com/2023/07/13/dji-assumes-outsize-role-in-new-anti-blacklist-drone-advocacy-alliance-lobby/.
2. Lippman, Daniel, and Caitlin Oprysko. “How Two Sets of House Members Are Deploying Fara as a Bogeyman .” Politico, May 22, 2024. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2024/05/22/how-two-sets-of-house-members-are-deploying-fara-as-a-bogeyman-00159503.
3. Crumley, Bruce. “DJI Assumes Outsize Role in New Anti-Blacklist Drone Advocacy Alliance Lobby.” DroneDJ, July 13, 2023. https://dronedj.com/2023/07/13/dji-assumes-outsize-role-in-new-anti-blacklist-drone-advocacy-alliance-lobby/.
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6. French, Sally. “Advocacy Group Forms to Fight Bans on Certain Drone Companies – with One Key Player.” The Drone Girl, January 2, 2024. https://www.thedronegirl.com/2023/07/14/advocacy-group-forms-to-fight-bans-on-certain-drone-companies-with-one-key-player/.
7. French, Sally. “Advocacy Group Forms to Fight Bans on Certain Drone Companies – with One Key Player.” The Drone Girl, January 2, 2024. https://www.thedronegirl.com/2023/07/14/advocacy-group-forms-to-fight-bans-on-certain-drone-companies-with-one-key-player/.
8. French, Sally. “Advocacy Group Forms to Fight Bans on Certain Drone Companies – with One Key Player.” The Drone Girl, January 2, 2024. https://www.thedronegirl.com/2023/07/14/advocacy-group-forms-to-fight-bans-on-certain-drone-companies-with-one-key-player/.
9. Lippman, Daniel, and Caitlin Oprysko. “How Two Sets of House Members Are Deploying Fara as a Bogeyman .” Politico, May 22, 2024. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2024/05/22/how-two-sets-of-house-members-are-deploying-fara-as-a-bogeyman-00159503.
10. Lippman, Daniel, and Caitlin Oprysko. “How Two Sets of House Members Are Deploying Fara as a Bogeyman .” Politico, May 22, 2024. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2024/05/22/how-two-sets-of-house-members-are-deploying-fara-as-a-bogeyman-00159503.
11. Deck, Nolan. “DJI Responds to Potential Ban in U.S. Markets.” Unofficial Networks, June 21, 2024. https://unofficialnetworks.com/2024/06/21/dji-responds-to-potential-ban/.