DJI will no longer stop drones from flying over airports, wildfires, and the White House, passing the buck to US law enforcement to prevent some of the worst forms of drone misuse. Some are suggesting the curious timing of that decision is political,

China-based drone manufacturer DJI has changed geofencing restrictions on its drones in the US, removing no-fly zones from its software after having them in place for about 10 years. The company says this follows a similar software update a year ago in Europe and aligns with US Federal Aviation Administration rules for drone pilots in the United States.

DJI, which accounts for an estimated 90% of hobby drone sales in the U.S., announced this week that it will stop geoblocking its drones from flying over airports and military bases. The changes took effect on Monday on both the DJI Fly and DJI Pilot flight apps.

For over a decade, you couldn’t easily fly a DJI drone over restricted areas in the United States. DJI’s software would automatically stop you from flying over runways, power plants, public emergencies like wildfires,

DJI has lifted its geofence that prevents users from flying over restricted areas like nuclear power plants, airports and wildfires.

DJI is removing its automatic no-fly restrictions over sensitive areas, replacing them with warnings, amid growing concerns about drone safety and regulation.