DJI denies accusation of supporting war, cites online attacks for product removal at German retailer
Global Times
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Photo: VCG

Chinese drone manufacturer DJI said on Monday that foreign accusations that the company was supporting war is "completely false" and the removal of its products from German retailer MediaMarkt was for security reasons as DJI and its partners have been the target of online attacks lately.

"We have repeatedly reiterated that all DJI products are designed for civilian use and cannot meet military specifications. Remarks on overseas social media platforms accusing DJI of supporting war are completely false," the company said in a statement.

DJI's response came after some media outlets reported that MediaMarkt, the largest electronics retailer in Germany, had removed DJI drones from the shelves over the weekend.

In the statement on Monday, DJI said that the social media accounts of DJI and its global partners, including MediaMarkt, have been attacked by swarms of internet 'trolls,' who were smearing DJI in the cyberspace, causing problems for the social media operations of multiple parties.

MediaMarkt decided to suspend the sale of DJI drones for security reasons on Friday on both its e-commerce platform and at offline locations, and discussions between the two parties regarding the issue are still ongoing, according to the DJI statement.

Previously, on March 16, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov released an open letter through his official Twitter account asking DJI to stop doing business in Russia, alleging that Russian troops "are using DJI products in order to navigate their missiles."

The next day, DJI responded to Fedorov reiterating that all DJI products are designed for civilian use and do not meet military specifications.

"DJI's sales and service in Ukraine has been consistent and unchanged," the company said in a letter addressed to Fedorov.

DJI does not hold the data requested and the company can't obtain and provide user information and flight data unless the user requests, the statement said, adding that the company can't identify and verify a user's location.