DJI makes the best ready-to-fly drones on the consumer market. IMO.
They also like to phone home. A lot.
They also like to phone home. A lot.
I have tried to research this... I do know that my actual cell phone which was manufactured in China is far more intrusive than a single Chinese app made to control a drone.
To me this seems like sleight of hand. Look over here... Bad DJI App! Don't worry about your Chinese made phone and all the crap that came preinstalled on it. Every cell phone and every “automated home” device has been made to spy on us. You can either live with it, try to find ways to minimize the dangers, or scrap them all.
I have books on how to build your own drone, but even if you put a lot of effort into it... most of the parts and components including the motor controllers and flight controls are still going to be coming from China.