New Legislation Lets You Fly Your Very Own Drone Over America

Written by Dabney B. on Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

In recent years, drones have truly flown to the forefront of the US Air Force by proving their effectiveness time and again. Not only does the unmanned technology allow some UAVs to fly for days on end without the need to land, but drones have also been instrumental in eliminating more than half of Al Queda’s top 20 most dangerous leaders.

It’s no surprise that the US government is funneling more money into advanced drone technology. Recent developments, however, have caused human rights activists and average American citizens to question the future of drone proliferation.

Back in February, President Obama signed the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act (FAARA), which allows state and private companies to use drones in US airspace. Opponents of this act question the need for such freedoms and fear that companies or state governments could use drones to spy on US citizens. Additionally, unmanned drones are slightly more difficult to control than conventional aircraft, which puts American airplanes and air travelers at a much greater risk.

 

On the other side of the coin, however, Obama’s decision to open up drone technology to the public will have several positive effects. Drone aircraft would be invaluable in search and rescue cheap cialis usa missions, or in fighting wildfires.

Companies looking to buy into the FAARA privileges hope to capitalize on many of the advantages inherent to drone technology. We can expect to see privately owned drones take flight fairly soon. Some specialists estimate that there could be as many as 30,000 drones flying in US airspace by 2020.

By and large, this step towards the privatization of drone technology has the potential to do more good than harm. It is only when they are used to spy on US citizens that the morality becomes fuzzy. Theoretically, drones capable of surveillance should undergo rigorous checks to ensure that they are not being used to violate Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights.

Undoubtedly, we will see major debates and conflicts in the coming years surrounding this hot button topic of privatized drones. As long as they are appropriately controlled and the surveillance capabilities are not abused, then the idea of surveillance drones flying over your head should not be any more unsettling than the thought of spy satellites orbiting Earth. It’s the same basic principle; the only difference is that these are owned by private companies and states rather than world governments.

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