OAKLAND, CA—The Alameda County Sheriff's Department made its first public pitch on Thursday to the county’s Board of Supervisors (PDF) to authorize the purchase of “one to two drones,” coming from a $31,000 state grant.
Read full article at: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/02/heres-the-drone-the-county-sheriff-wants-to-fly-over-your-backyard/
Comments
It's interesting, certainly the potential exists, especially with our multicopters to further invade peoples privacy, but the concerns actually presented by this aspect seem blown way out of proportion in comparison to the existing stationary and vehicle mounted and individual camera phones all over the country.
We have accepted surveillance by fixed video cameras without a hiccup as the right of the people employing them.
We accept that if anything happens in our view it is entirely our right to video it and transmit it to a world wide audience.
We accept that airplanes and even satellites fly over all the time and can pretty much (observe) whatever they want and record it however they want without us having any say so.
So we draw some kind of uncrossable line with little electric things that fly around with cameras on them.
Swimming against the tide comes to mind.
I agree this fear of drones in our backyards is complete BS, it really just show the level narcissism that's alive and well in this country. lol
but you guys understand it would cost more to outsource to a provet company running the drone then if they own one themself right? you see the problem is the "FOR" profit part that just eats away at a set budget that never works out.
I honesty don't get this "for profit" everything nonsense that's so invasive in this country. true life changing innovation never comes from a for profit companies. it comes from the backyard inventers like us, schools and other government programs because not having to worry about profit means they push the envelope farther.
This nonsense that the govt or police actually care what joe blow is doing in his backyard is laughable, if you put your paranoia aside for a moment and use the noodle between your ears you'll realize that it's more likely the local police are using that drone to actually catch a criminal and if that criminal just happens to be you then good riddance.
Occasionally I fly my quad around the cul-de-sac in front of my house (usually just for flight-checks before heading out of town for longer flights) and the funny thing is that my neighbors are basically OK with it, but their first comment was "you're not going to be looking in my windows with that contraption, are you?"
People jealously guard their privacy was my take-away lesson from that, despite the fact that their online profile is available (for a price & if you know where to look) and contains all the places they visit online but probably wouldn't want their neighbors to know about.
And it was kind of humorous - I ask "you heard this flying out in the street, wouldn't you hear it right outside your window??" And when I mention how public their private lives already are, they get this startled look on their faces (men and women alike) and rapidly change the subject...
I think quads are a visible manifestation of many trends that have been happening for a long time, but more out of sight. Unfortunately I think that UAVs are going to be the monkey in the scopes monkey trial. For better or worse we are going to bear the brunt of many of these big issues we are only peripherally connected to, but because UAVs are so novel and visible.
Well, time to build that hand held EMP cannon I have been thinking about. I`ll keep it by the pool, if the copdrone comes by while I am sunbathing, a little EMP blast should take care of business....! Then I call the station and tell them that the stupid thing fell in my pool, what the hell is that about. What were you guys doing buzzing my backyard in the first place? I understand if they use that thing for a crime scene but that`s it. I fly my fpv quads in the country side, never in the city and I don`t go buzzing around the neighbors or nearby people, it is rude to get up close and film people without their consent.
Exactly.. leave it up to private for profit entities that have to compete and innovate... not that all companies are without their own failings.
But like Matthew said.. what is up with back yards!.. seriously. We really need to as a community get positive press with UAVs and their usage.. and not the killing machine looking in my windows headlines. Create public challange events, meetings of how to innovate and build out useful, peaceful technologies.
I agree with the above and add that people need to get over themselves thinking that every government department actually gives a sh#*t what you get up to in your own back yard.If your not breaking the law then you
pretty much assured you wont have a drone hovering outside your bedroom window.
In relation to government departments bying drones, looking at the state of countrys around the world i think most would benefit from maybe spending some of the billions of dollars on health and other such problems.
Leaving the drone work to private entity's
Groan. Another sensational headline.
The drone my county sheriff wants to fly over my back yard? First, my county sheriff doesn't have access to this equipment. Second, my back yard? Really? What's with this obsession with back yards?
Where did this editor get a degree? The Hearst School of Yellow Journalism?
and bingo.. you have a competitive group of companies working to get contracts from the govt' entities.
I can't get my head around all the fuss honestly!! they can't do anything with a drone that they don't already do with full sized aircraft!! in fact, the full sized police helicopters carry far more sophisticated systems than a drone ever could! they can see into your windows quite well from a police helicopter, a drone is just cheaper to keep in the sky...
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next