DRONES

It seems that it was just a few short years ago when we began to hear of military drones and drone strikes. In fact, science fiction titles sometimes reference drones and indicate that drones existed as early as the 1960's, and perhaps earlier. Now, corporations purchase drones for various reasons, and even toy stores sell drones with various degrees of capabilities, such as taking aerial photographs, videotaping movements, and recording conversations.

The photos we see of drones are generally the size of a small, medium or large toy airplane that is controlled remotely in a manner similar to toy airplanes. In fact, drones can be almost invisible, and drones the size of flies and insects with inherent photographic and recording capabilities are in common use. It is one thing for a corporation to manufacture drones under a military contract for military purposes. It is quite another thing for that company to leverage its knowledge and research by beginning to manufacture drones for use by corporations and individuals in the private sector, without an in depth consideration of the broader national and global implications.

​There are numerous considerations that must be analyzed prior to advanced military technologies being introduced into the public sphere, not the least of which is the impact on privacy, security and individual rights. Regulation, including technology regulation, is a necessary condition of coexistence because evil becomes rampant whenever the power balance becomes skewed. That drone technology has been unsuspectingly unleashed into the public domain is alarming. More significantly, drones in the public domain skew the power balance in a fearsome and appalling manner.