High anxiety on the Hill about civilian drone use

High anxiety on the Hill about civilian drone use

www.washingtontimes.com

Members of Congress from both parties fear that the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t crafted adequate security protocols for the looming explosion of private, domestic drone use.

Witnesses, including a University of Texas professor who hijacked a drone last month, told the House Homeland Security subcommittee on oversight, investigations and management that, with the proper equipment and expertise, it’s relatively easy to jam drones’ GPS signals and take control of them.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I completely oppose the use of drones on American citizens. DUH!



Is there a constitutional mandate for the use of fricken flying surveillance all around without a warrant? NO!

The only possible exception MIGHT be their use at the borders, to help protect against illegal immigration. Of course they are already in use for that.

Why don't we just give the police mini tactical nukes and be done with it?

Collateral damage? Bah, who cares about collateral damage! You got a problem, nuke the whole block and blame the neighborhood for not taking care enough to identify the offender before he committed the crime!

I mean just how far, and much more are the police going to militarize, before they are considered a MILITARY themselves? I'll argue all day long that they could now. I mean look at the weapons they have. Where are the citizens on this?

The use of drones no doubt is going to pose some serious, additional security risks for all of us. Leave it up to the government to implement ANOTHER bone-headed idea.


www.washingtontimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

The government won't find a way to keep the drone's signals from being jammed, but smugglers, they will find a way to use drones. Expect GPS not to work near the border. The days of the suicide bomber are over. Drones are cheaper. Phase 2 of the robot war begins.

Hijack an armed drone.. that's what I'm seeing more than anything else.


Hmmm.. Easy they say?

How many people are thinking "Joyride" when they read this?



Backyard wars anyone?

You guys know the only reason this is making news? Because the lawmakers are afraid that someone is going to hijack a drone and use it against THEM.

THAT's the way this story is or WAS being sold on Drudge: They just pulled the article off Drudge. Hmm.

Wassa matta? Figured that might not be a good story to put out there cause it might give someone a bad idea?

Keep it up with your BONEHEADED IDEAS, Congress.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


ummm, this is about CIVILIAN use

and the very well founded fear of the citizenry by the government

2nd amendment should apply to personal drones

build your own now before they are banned for civvies

diydrones.com...

Build yourself a Drone NOW (before they become illegal)

Francis makes two simple observations that are worth repeating. Here's the first one:

"I don’t have to spell out the implications of this. I want to have my drone before the government makes them illegal."



The Inevitable Ban on Drone Tech

I agree with Francis, it's pretty clear that drones will become illegal sooner than later. Let me run through a scenario for you. I'm going to have some fun with it:

The ban will likely start by closing down the drone flight amateur loophole -- under 400ft, line of site, away from built up areas (which Francis obviously violated with his test flight). You will need a license to fly even small drones. Commercial licenses will be very restrictive (right now it's illegal to take pictures from a drone for commercial purposes).

However, that's not going to last. There will be too many violations as people build and use drones without regard to the legal restrictions. It will then be made illegal to own a drone w/o a very restrictive license.

Of course, that won't last long either. People will continue to build and use them using generic parts. This technology will prove way to useful and too easy to access. At that point, like we have seen recently with efforts to put limits on general purpose computing (ACTA, SOPA, etc.), we are going to see the following:

Bans on general purpose robotic technology from hardware to software.
Controls on general purpose fabrication technology (since parts can be made with these technologies). There will be lots of support from commercial patent and copyright holders for government bans on 3D fabrication.
Controls on people that know how to build drones. Dangerous people must be tracked and monitored (I had a physics teacher once who designed nuclear bombs, he couldn't travel more than 50 miles w/o government authorization -- it would be much easier to do that for many more people now using modern tech).

Now, all of these steps will accelerate to the end point if a single terrorist incident is based on drone tech.

So, what should you do?

Build yourself a drone. Before they are made illegal.

reply to post by earthdude



Lets think about this for a second.

You can goto wally world and get a nice camera system for under 50$. One one such has an series of mics and led lights that you could zoom in and out left, right.. etc. Very small round tube of a thing. Pop the cover, there is your camera.

The wire extends (2wire attached) coupled with the slinder powe wire 150". I bought this one. I could see my cat on top of my truck at night. The dark one defied the camera but i could the his eyes. I could hear them patting on the car port, jumping on the truck, occassional grunts. It was a very nice system.

Attach that to a plane, you have a "drone". Any toy plane will do.

I see a ban of cameras and planes comming. Hehe At least restrictions.

reply to post by DerepentLEstranger


Absolutely. I see no reason why people shouldn't be allowed to have their own armed drones, flying over their property perimeters, and if anyone comes on your property, have it auto programmed to fire 1000 .50 cal rounds. I mean clearly they couldn't fault us for wanting to use overwhelming force against an intruder. Even if it's them.

"Aww sorry, you tried to come into my property without a warrant, or even if you did have a warrant, my drone does not agree with you calling me a domestic terrorist because I support Ron Paul."

I mean really. SCREW these jokers who want to make this country some kind of fricken big jail.

hi op

hear is what you do with low flying/hovering drones
www.youtube.com...

Consider private security contractor within the United States.... remember them? The one's who embarrassed our soldiers overseas with their barbaric brutality and thug-like behavior?

These companies are just as privileged to use drones for "security contracts" as any "civilian" PLUS they have the corporate shield against liability.

Yeah, I would worry about it too.

Paramilitary-Drones used by "private" citizens (which includes corporations - "who are people too") over our skies for our "protection?" Unlikely.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


The use of private drones in the US is like any other corporate agenda, to benefit the private sector and make profits at the expenses of tax payers.

But is a big problem the drones need skilled technicians and they are not cheap, so I wonder how the states will be justifying the drone centers to be opening all over the nation.

Will the budget comes from the government or the private sector.

It it takes money to runs these new technology, you know.

What a joke.

The only "high anxiety" going on in W,D.C. is that there whores will be exposed.

Originally posted by LimePie
The only "high anxiety" going on in W,D.C. is that there whores will be exposed.

Are you referring to the Senators or the Congressmen?

I suspect that they (the whores) only now have realized that as gung-ho as the DHS and LE were about having these high tech toys, it did not make it a 'sound' policy... leave it to political appointees to bring our people into the 21st century in fear ... of our own government.

I maintain that military tools are for the military and no other organization has the "culture of mission" to adequately deploy and responsibly use these things... which is odd because those drones being used overseas in a military capacity are mostly under CIA and private contractor control.... less oversight that way.

Is it illegal to make an electromagnetic pulse gun. It doesn't shoot anything solid or liquid, just a pulse. I'd never aim it at anything with people in it, just a science project.

reply to post by rickymouse


I suspect their illegality can be covered under FCC regulations since it emits electromagnetic energy... but I'm no expert...

Another big problem with the drones is that when it comes to highly populated areas they are not reliable, see the use of them has been relegated to desert and more of desolated regions even here in the US.

But taking into consideration that these drones are not very safe, the safety to people in high populated areas comes into question.

How can the govenrment justify a drone falling on somebodies property injuring the owners even killing them in the process.

I wonder.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Rednecks and pot growers will shoot them down as fast as they can.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
reply to post by TrueAmerican

 

Rednecks and pot growers will shoot them down as fast as they can.

Well that's a great notion, don't get me wrong, but is that really even feasible? You going to take an AR-15, or 30-O6, and shoot something that's so small and flying at 40 or more mph and at 400 ft? What are the chances of hitting that? And then what happens when you find out the farm guy next door was using it to help survey his property, or some other legitimate use?

The point is, if we have a zillion drones flying around overhead, how is one supposed to distinguish the bad from the very bad?

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Well, i wouldn't be shooting them down. I am a redneck, but not that crazy of one. And I am certainly not a pot grower. LOL

I just know how the freepers will react.

Wow,

Please forgive my ignorance but, are the cops already using these things on civvies? (and no conspiracy-related answers please, just an actual "yes, definitely" or "not that we know of for sure" will be sufficient).
If so, then that is a pretty disgraceful infringement on people's liberty already. If not then there ought to be a move to prevent it from happening.... Here in the uk we are almost constantly surveilled by the MASSIVE (almost blanket in built up areas) coverage by CCTV cameras... I wonder if they have them over here... If not, and you Americans have them/end up with them then you can be damn sure we won't be far behind..... Honestly, I know the 1984 parallel gets overused but EFF ME! It's only a couple of steps away at most....

Edit: Holy SHEEEEEET!

"Merseyside Police used a £13,000 helicopter drone fitted with surveillance cameras for four years. Officers hailed the craft as instrumental in a number of arrests"

And from the same article:

"Unmanned drones equipped with surveillance cameras will be flown across the skies of London during next year's Olympic Games, The Independent has learnt"

Source: The Independent online: www.independent.co.uk...

THIS is why I joined ATS! Not for BS about reptilian satanists abducting people to perform ritual bummings on them or whatever, but to actually learn and discover things I didn't know about!

Turns out they've been using these for YEARS... There was NOTHING in the news about introducing these, and this article is from last year! It says the scousers have been using one for 4 years prior to THAT! How much more widespread and sophisticated will they be now?