Look, Up In The Sky! It's A Drone, Looking At You by Brian Naylor | npr | December 5, 2011 Unmanned aircraft - or drones - are playing a large role in U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, but they're starting to show up the the skies above the U.S. as well. Drones are already used to patrol the border with Mexico and now they may soon be coming to a police department near you. Just consider a video on drone manufacturer AeroVironment's website: Police officers chase a suspect to his home. The suspect runs behind the house, out of sight. The officers open the trunk of their patrol car and pull out what looks like a toy model aircraft with four rotors and a video camera. They launch the aircraft, which allows them to monitor their suspect's movements through a video feed on an iPad-like tablet and, ultimately, to apprehend him. AeroVironment calls its unmanned aircraft the Qube, and while it may look like something kids would look for under the Christmas tree, it's no toy. "The Qube is the first solution that AeroVironment has introduced specifically targeting what we identify as the public safety market, and that's really public safety professionals like law enforcement, search and rescue, and first responders," says company vice president Steve Gitlin. Drones - or unmanned vehicles - have been a success with the military, and companies such as AeroVironment hope to make them an increasingly common sight in this country. Gitlin says the Qube costs just a bit more than a police patrol car, making it a much less expensive alternative to a manned helicopter. "At about 2 pounds, the safety risks to people on the ground are rather minimal," he says. "In fact it weighs less than your common Canadian goose." While law enforcement is a big market for makers of unmanned aircraft systems - known as UAS's - there are many other potential civilian users such as monitoring pipe lines, oil spills, fires, weather and floods. But all those unmanned aircraft have some people a little wary. Privacy advocate Harley Geiger of the Center for Democracy and Technology says drones are basically flying video cameras. "Drones can easily be equipped with facial recognition cameras, infrared cameras or open Wi-Fi sniffers," Geiger says. "So when people think about drones they shouldn't just think that a telephoto lens is the only feature that can raise a privacy issue." Nor, says Geiger, is it only law enforcement that could be watching: The paparazzi, your homeowners' association, your neighbor, a journalist can all sic drones on you as well. " http://www.npr.org/2011/12/05/143144146/drone-technology-finding-its-way-to-american-skies ...... While the Qube has the ability to furnish mankind with beneficial information on nationwide events, the concept should be closely watched to see that Americans' privacy is not interfered with. The media is so aggressive in looking for information, they would ne among the first to buy a Qube, giving celebrities, suspected criminals, public officials, our president, and others undr a surveillance that would greatly hamper their privacy to go to the grocer, a nightclub, or to a party and who they leave with. I am thinking I might buy a Qube to monitor my b/f, but then I might find out something that I really would rather not know. On the other hand, my b/f may already have ordered one to monitor me, so I guess I will have to shoot my heat seeking device up in the air each day as I leave for work to totally destroy any Qube that is searching for my stuff.
Granny says if dey send one o' dem helicopter drones to peek inna window when she takin' a shower - she liable to shoot it outta the air... FAA Has Authorized 106 Government Entities to Fly Domestic Drones July 20, 2012 - Since Jan. 1 of this year, according to congressional testimony presented Thursday by the Government Accountability Office, the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized 106 federal, state and local government entities to fly unmanned aircraft systems, also known as drones, within U.S. airspace. See also: High anxiety on the Hill about civilian drone use Thursday, July 19, 2012 - When it comes to drones, the DHS is MIA, lawmakers said Thursday.
Here's lookin' at ya... Police chiefs adopt code of conduct for drone use Thursday, August 16, 2012 - The nation’s police chiefs have adopted a code of conduct for their use of drones, including letting any images captured by unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, be open to inspection by the public, and that the images not be stored unless they are evidence of a crime or part of an ongoing investigation. See also: Stepped-up computer monitoring of federal workers worries privacy advocates August 16`12 - When the Food and Drug Administration started spying on a group of agency scientists, it installed monitoring software on their laptop computers to capture their communications.
Drones are a clear use of military against US citizens. Oh that's right the government doesn't give a crap about the Constitution...There is no way in hell private companies should be allowed to use these. No matter what side you are on, you should be stumping mad about this.
Well, don't worry about it, no one will ever hack into those things and start spying on people with them! Trust me! Oh by the way Zosiasmom, the keys you're looking for? You left them on top of the fridge.
Since the passage of the Talmudic Noahide laws in 1991, you don't have any rights. So the head Rabbi et al. can spy on you any time he wants. The America that the Founding Fathers sought is long gone. Its a shame. But a nation of deluded people don't deserve the "Pursuit of Happiness and property."
I was at a stop light here in Cocoa Beach the other day and I saw one hovering and seemed to be checking out traffic. The beach is only a couple hundred feet away. I bet the the drone handlers are checking out the chics in bikinis with high res lenses to say the least...
Agent posting something not from huffpo???? Holy crap! I'm starting to wonder what's the difference, drones in the sky or drones in the government? We need to end both...
Big brother is watching and will continue...it ain't going away...say goodbye to liberty and freedom.
Like mebbe Waco or Ruby Ridge?... Holder: Drone strike against Americans in the U.S. possible March 5th, 2013 - Attorney General Eric Holder Tuesday stopped short of entirely ruling out a drone strike against an American citizen on U.S. soilwithout trial. See also: After Protracted Questioning: Holder Admits It's Unconstitutional for Gov't to Kill U.S. Citizen Sitting Peacefully in U.S. in Cafe March 6, 2013 U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that the U.S. Constitution does not allow the targeted drone killing of a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil who does not pose an imminent threat to life or bodily harm.
Granny says, "Dat's right - the better to spy on terrorists with... Coming soon to a sky near you: a Pentagon-backed "bat drone" March 19, 2013 It's not quite the Batplane. But a new Pentagon-backed autonomous "bat drone" that can use a long claw to pluck objects off of the ground is ready for deployment.
Granny gonna use dem drones fer skeet shootin' practice... Drones being used in US for surveillance, says FBI chief Thursday 20th June, 2013 WASHINGTON The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been using drones to conduct secret surveillance on US citizens, the agency chief disclosed to a house panel.