Silicon Valley has to embrace a technology that carries great capacity to help people, such as finding lost children and hikers. But tech leaders should be helping the Federal Aviation Administration write a national policy for drone use to protect Americans’ privacy.
After a public outcry this month, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors delayed Sheriff Greg Ahern’s plan to buy a high-powered, $31,646 surveillance drone. Ahern insisted it was for search and rescue missions and responding to wildfires, but a July 20 internal memo from a captain also mentioned intelligence gathering, surveillance of suspicious persons and crowd control.
The fear that drones will be used to spy on residents or carry weapons to attack people prompted the Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission to ponder declaring Berkeley a “No Drone Zone.” The city council rejected the idea, but patchwork rules remain a danger.
The FAA now issues one-year certificates to law enforcement and other government agencies for drone use on a case-by-case basis. The agencies must say how and where the drone would be used. Private owners don’t have to do that. The FAA does require that all drones weighing 25 pounds or less can only be flown during the day, must be visible by the operator and must remain lower than 400 feet so they don’t become hazards for aircraft.
The Obama administration has ordered the FAA to write comprehensive rules by September, 2015 for integrating drones into national air space. Courts have given manned aircraft a wide berth to perform surveillance of private property from “public navigable airspace,” and privacy advocates are alarmed that drones may fall under the same category. Frankly, so are we.
These types of concerns are common with any technological breakthrough, from cell phones — can anybody tap into your calls? — to online searches. But once out of the box, new technology can’t be crammed back inside like that toy Santa left with the missing part.
Like other advances, drones can improve our lives and make us safer. But new technology does require new rules. The Valley needs to help set them.
Source: Mercury News, Silicon Valley
I’ve been trying for years. You can help the horse get to water, but you can’t make them drink.
President, SIlicon Valley Chapter of AUVSI
Patrick Egan