Ethics and The Predator Drone

            Ethics was not a major key element in the book, The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution. Ethics and drones have been evolving the bigger the drone world gets. There is an ongoing evaluation from the public. Some say drones are a huge invasion of privacy and a burden to deal with in public areas. Others say that drones are a useful tool that will advance technology and help people for the better. The Predator drone is a well-known drone to the military and the public, and a wide range of views and opinions have been discussed about it. Should drones like the Predator be used for surveillance of our country and other countries? Should remote strikes and assassinations be allowed from those who have the technology for it? Are drones more helpful to people that they are invasive? These questions are still being discussed by those in the communities that drones effect.

            Surveillance has been something that has evolved tremendously since drones have started attaching payloads such as high-quality cameras and sensors. The Ethics argument that has risen in the public, is that drones are a huge invasion of privacy. Although I don’t agree with that statement, I do understand where people who say that are coming from. It is a hard thing to adjust to, the fact that a drone can be watching you when you can’t even see it ten thousand feet above you. But that technology can help people way more than it could harm them. Imagine the possibilities of safety programs being implemented with the help of drones, small and large scale. Surveillance with drones could help people live safer lives and help response times of emergency authorities increase. This technology can help find missing people, keep watch of a group of suspicious people, or even keep view of children playing in a public area to assure safety.

            Remote strikes and assassinations have occurred multiple times using drone technology. Some people think that killing someone from across the world using cameras and rockets is weak, and unfair. Others think that every moment a solider isn’t in harm’s way is a victory. I think that to an extent, drone strikes, and assassinations are necessary. I believe in extreme cases and in world crisis that it is an option to look at. But if we as a country and other nations as well start thinking that it is acceptable to solve all our problems by launching drone strikes, then that will just lead to bigger and bigger problems. Drone strikes, and assassinations are a usually tool but only for extreme circumstances, and should be avoided if possible, but I agree that using strikes instead of soldiers that could not come back is a good alternative.

            One other problem with drone strikes is that it is very difficult to tell if the target is killed. Confirming kills is a very important part of a mission, and if it is unknown that a target is killed then more problems could arise in the future. That is why in some instances our military has sent in specialized teams so that we could take proper footage and record the kill to prove that the job was done correctly and successfully.

            Drone technology is just going to keep pushing forward and advancing. Eventually drones will be able to stay airborne for days, even weeks, and fly heights unimaginable to us now. Cameras and payloads will be able to receive and record data and high-quality video. Even if there are civilian laws that restrict drone use to the public, commercial and military drones will always be moving forward. The military will not stop using drones for tactical surveillance or drone strikes unless it becomes illegal which I don’t see happening soon. It could be possible that drone laws for those who don’t have commercial licenses are tighten for public comfort, but for now the FAA is taking things step by step and instance by instance. The way drone laws are being formed is the FAA waits for an instant that was bad, and then makes a law to prevent that in the future. For instance, when drones where first coming out to use for the public, someone was using them to hunt wildlife. The FAA did not see this fit and fair, so they made a law preventing it in the future. Of course, like all laws, different places have different variations and problems so different states and regions might have different laws regarding drones.

            I do strongly believe that some checks should be in place for the future of the drone industry, especially on the public/civilian level. Those who are not properly trained should be limited to their drone use heavily to avoid accidents and instances. To be able to use high quality equipment you should have to be licensed and trained through a proper program. To use drones to make any money commercially you should be licensed and trained through a proper program. The future will defiantly look different for drones than what we are seeing now. Even five years ago, some of the technology we have now did not even look obtainable.

            When it comes to what we can and should use drones for, we will have to be very cautious and careful as a community. Security and surveillance if not stated clearly and in detail could be misleading from a civilian aspect. People do not want to feel uncomfortable with what drones are doing. Education should be administered to the public so that they do not have to fear this technology that is really made to help them. Security with drones could be huge but we first must educate the generally public, so they don’t feel like they are being spied on, or that their privacy is being breached. The people using drones for security should be trained properly and licensed, knowing their limits and boundaries on other’s privacy.

            The Predator drone is a great example of Ethics problems that could arise because of drones. It can be traced down to smaller drones and other problems that can arise with drones in general. Some of the key elements we need to think about Ethically are surveillance and security, drone strikes and assassinations, and where drones are heading in the future. I think that drones are a better tool than they are a hindrance. I strongly believe that if people are educated on the topic, and realize that drones are useful tools, then they will be able to understand the uses and that they aren’t bad things. Educating the public is going to be a huge part of moving forward for drones in the future.