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  • 00:00:05,715 --> 00:00:08,660 Of all the big Chinese tech companies doing business here

  • in the US, one has so far flown under the political radar,

  • so to speak.

  • DJI makes 70 per cent of the drones sold across the US

  • every year.

  • And yet it has escaped the kinds of scrutiny

  • that have been imposed on other Chinese tech

  • companies such as Huawei.

  • One reason for that is the company's tech.

  • There simply isn't another maker on that scale

  • of commercial drones.

  • But another is that DJI is extraordinarily well plugged

  • in in US political circles.

  • Its executives sit on key regulatory bodies.

  • It has teams of experts ready to jump at a moment's notice

  • should anything go wrong with a drone owned by the government.

  • And it has even worked hand in hand

  • with a Department of the Interior

  • to develop a drone made specifically

  • for the US government.

  • Now all that might be changing.

  • I've had several conversations with people in the Trump

  • administration over the past few months

  • who have said that they are concerned

  • that the photographs taken by millions of DJI drones

  • across the country could provide a treasure trove of data

  • for the Chinese to use for spying, should they wish.

  • So far, nothing much has happened.

  • But the Department of the Interior

  • has grounded its entire fleet of drones,

  • including 121 made by DJI, while it investigates whether they

  • pose a security threat.

  • And senators are considering applying a complete ban

  • to federal government on buying the company's drones.

  • But so far, this is one big Chinese company

  • that can still get a hearing here in Washington.

  • Now each week I'm going to answer one reader question.

  • And this week, it comes from Stefan.

  • And it's on the subject of Twitter's recently announced

  • ban on political advertising.

  • Stefan asked, "How do you define political advertising compared

  • to ordinary advertising?

  • A Greenpeace, for example, is also political,

  • so should that be banned as well?"

  • Well, Stefan, this is one reason why Facebook has not

  • followed suit, at least so far.

  • It is very difficult to define the boundaries of what counts

  • as a political advert and what doesn't.

  • This is something that Elizabeth Warren is very concerned about,

  • for example.

  • She tweeted earlier this week that she

  • was worried that under this ban a company like Exxon

  • might be able to advertise about its oil business

  • but a group campaigning against climate change might not.

  • Now so far we don't know if that's going to be the case

  • or not.

  • Jack Dorsey, the Twitter CEO, has

  • said he will announce the full set of rules later this month.

  • But one thing is clear - whatever

  • he announces on the 15th of November,

  • someone is going to be very angry indeed.

  • Thanks very much for your question.

  • And if you have a comment or a question

  • you'd like me to answer in next week's vlog,

  • please leave it in the comments below.

00:00:05,715 --> 00:00:08,660 Of all the big Chinese tech companies doing business here

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