Evolution of drone tech used by police raises privacy concerns

FEDERAL AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE BEEN USING DRONES TO ASSIST IN PUBLIC SAFETY EFFORTS FOR YEARS… BUT THANKS TO UP AND COMING TECHNOLOGY,  FIRST RESPONDERS ARE ABLE OPERATE DRONES REMOTELY FROM ANYWHERE WITH UNLIMITED RANGE SIMPLY USING A WEB BROWSER.

THE TECHNOLOGY FROM PALADIN, A HOUSTON BASED STARTUP ALLOWS POLICE TO USE DRONES WITH LICENSE PLATE READERS AND GUNSHOT DETECTORS WHILE PILOTING THEM FROM TEN, HUNDREDS, EVEN THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY . POLICE USING THE TECHNOLOGY CALL IT REVOLUTIONARY, ALLOWING THEM TO GET EYES ON A POTENTIAL SCENE BEFORE PATROL OFFICERS CAN GET THERE.

“It is a game changer, DFR is the future drone first responders. It lets you respond to calls where seconds count.”

BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT’S EXCITEMENT IN THE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPLEMENT MORE DRONE AS FIRST RESPONDER PROGRAMS HAS CIVIL LIBERTY ADVOCATES WORRIED THAT THE CONTINUED EVOLUTION IN DRONE TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT PROPER OVERSIGHT WILL RESULT IN THE U.S. BECOMING A SURVEILLANCE STATE.

FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, AN ACLU SENIOR POLICY ANALYST, JAY STANLEY HAS BEEN SOUNDING THE ALARM ON PRIVACY CONCERNS AS POLICE USE UNMANNED DRONES… 

“It is a very powerful surveillance technology, and we just need to put in place some good basic rules to ensure we can enjoy the benefits of the technology without having to worry that from the moment you walk out of your front door until you get home at night some invisible eye in the sky is tracking your every move.”

FAST FORWARD TO 2023, STANLEY’S CONCERNS ARE STILL PRESSING… IN A JULY ACLU PAPER, STANLEY SAID, WITH FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS CHANGING TO ALLOW FIRST RESPONDERS TO FLY DRONES FROM ANYWHERE, AND MORE AGENCIES IMPLEMENTING DRONES AS FIRST RESPONDERS PROGRAMS, PRIVACY CONCERNS ARE GREATER THAN EVER.

QUOTE: WE’RE VERY CONCERNED THAT WE MAY BE MOVING TOWARD A FUTURE WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES CONSTANTLY SCANNING THE SKIES SEEING DRONES OVERHEAD, AND FEELING LIKE THE EYES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE ALWAYS UPON US.”

THE PRIVACY AND SURVEILLANCE CONCERNS ARE BEING ADDRESSED HEAD ON BY PALADIN… ACCORDING TO ITS CEO AND FOUNDER.. IT’S TECHNOLOGY BEING EMPLOYED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BUILT-IN PRIVACY PROTECTIONS. 

PALADIN’S SOFTWARE KEEPS THE DRONE’S CAMERA POINTED AT THE HORIZON UNTIL IT REACHES A SCENE AS TO AVOID UNNECESSARY PRIVACY INTRUSIONS, AND EVERYTHING SEEN BY THE DRONE IS LOGGED AND RECORDED. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES HAVE ALSO TAKEN STEPS TO MAINTAIN TRANSPARENCY, SOME POLICE DEPARTMENTS HAVE MADE ALL DRONE FLIGHT PATHS PUBLIC INFORMATION.

POLICE ALSO SAY THE FAST ACTING DRONES CAN GIVE GROUND UNITS CRITICAL INFORMATION ABOUT A SITUATION BEFORE THEY ARRIVE WHICH CAN HELP DE-ESCALATE SITUATIONS.

IT IS NOT JUST LAW ENFORCEMENT BENEFITTING FROM THE EVOLUTION IN DRONE TECH… FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE IMPLEMENTING DRONES AS FIRST RESPONDER PROGRAMS TO REDUCE RESPONSE TIMES HELP IDENTIFY WHERE RESOURCES SHOULD BE DEPLOYED TO MOST EFFECTIVELY FIGHT FIRES.

PALADIN ALSO HOPES TO USE ITS SOFTWARE IN OTHER INDUSTRIES LIKE AGRICULTURE.