Do Drones Help Democratize Surveillance? (sandiegouniontribune.com) 24
A University of San Diego (USD) professor has just published The Good Drone: How Social Movements Democratize Surveillance. He tells a local newspaper that drones (as well as other aerial technologies like balloons, satellites, and even kites) actually help effect social change.
"That was my litmus test," Choi-Fitzpatrick continues. "Can I, or other people like me, use this technology for good? The thing that ties them all together is that they're all affordable and deployable by the public without regulatory oversight."
In order to prove this point, Choi-Fitzpatrick points to how the vast majority of the public uses drones for altruistic causes such as documenting human rights abuses, anti-poaching advocacy, and researching climate change research. With help from his students at USD, he meticulously scraped the internet, logging incident reports and media stories on negative drone usage. He says the data proved that, more often than not, that "the smallest categories were for spying and crime...."
It's his hope that "The Good Drone" will help the public understand the benefit of the technology before rushing to have them banned for public use... "The government already has surveillance drones monitoring protests and I think it's important that news agencies, the public and social movements also have drones to tell their side of the story as well. It's only imagery and video that will tell the full story."
The article points out that while the book will be published Tuesday, it will also be available as a free, downloadable, open access PDF. And the author's original manuscript, uploaded to PubPub's Open Peer Review platform, is already available online.
In order to prove this point, Choi-Fitzpatrick points to how the vast majority of the public uses drones for altruistic causes such as documenting human rights abuses, anti-poaching advocacy, and researching climate change research. With help from his students at USD, he meticulously scraped the internet, logging incident reports and media stories on negative drone usage. He says the data proved that, more often than not, that "the smallest categories were for spying and crime...."
It's his hope that "The Good Drone" will help the public understand the benefit of the technology before rushing to have them banned for public use... "The government already has surveillance drones monitoring protests and I think it's important that news agencies, the public and social movements also have drones to tell their side of the story as well. It's only imagery and video that will tell the full story."
The article points out that while the book will be published Tuesday, it will also be available as a free, downloadable, open access PDF. And the author's original manuscript, uploaded to PubPub's Open Peer Review platform, is already available online.
Re: (Score:2)
Organized surveillance presents far more of a danger to our society than any benefit gained from giving up our liberties and core ideals.
Surveillance by the public is a liberty and all you've just said is that you want to deny liberties so nobody can give them up.
Re: (Score:1)
It is important for the public to also actively surveil everything... especially government.
But people have already decided that it is okay for government to have privacy... for "national security" reasons.
The Republic has already been lost. All we are doing now is waiting for people to wake up to it. Of course how do you explain to those that think we are a democracy, that we are not in a democracy. The dictionary they are using is not written down anywhere.
Re: (Score:2)
Of course how do you explain to those that think we are a democracy, that we are not in a democracy.
Most governments these days are a conglomerate of government forms and not one pure form. The once thought pure forms have begun to converge to something new. Even China, once poster boy of communism, has opened up. Just a little, but globalisation is chipping away at all. Where it results in we'll have to see. The time of idealists and thinkers pondering over the perfect government form is long gone.
Tom Hanks Called, wants back Circle Surveilance (Score:2)
ANyone see the movie?
The man will realize it (Score:2)
The government will limit the use of drones for "safety" and "privacy" reasons, then you can kiss that "democratizing" goodbye.
Re: (Score:2)
Cameras aimed down at the masses are fine.
Cameras aimed up, time for red tape.
Democratize surveillance ?!?!? (Score:1)
Maybe they should go ask a few Iraqis about that.
Re: (Score:1)
Q. What's the difference between a group of terrorists and a wedding party?
A. Don't ask me, man - I just fly the drone.
I don't know (Score:2)
Do oranges democratize pancakes?
God (Score:2)
We've become God the Tyrant and the Devil at the same time. Good Job.
Saturdays on Slashdot (Score:2, Insightful)
Every Saturday EditorDavid posts inane stuff on slashdot. This is part of his continuing series to bore us to sleep on the weekend. It's not "fake news" insofar as the "articles" cited exist, but they are hardly anything other than cheap opinion pieces that are blatantly spewing out the author's crap:
> Choi-Fitzpatrick points to how the vast majority of the public uses drones for altruistic causes such as documenting human rights abuses, anti-poaching advocacy, and researching climate change research
No
Nope monitoring demostrations is illegal (Score:2)
Currently over Portland, and I assume other cities with demonstrations, there is a NOTAM (see below) which basically says if you aren't part of the "official" groups you are banned from flying. It may not be easy to enforce but there could be dire consequences of getting disappeared. Then "security forces" always protect their own.
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages... [faa.gov]
Section 336 (Score:3)
The FAA Modernization and
Reform Act of 2012 has Section 336, a "special
rule for model aircraft." In Section 336, Congress defined a model aircraft is as "an unmanned aircraftâ that is (1) capable of sustained flight in the
atmosphere; (2) flown within visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft; and
(3) flown for hobby or recreational purposes."
Section 336 prohibits the FAA from promulgating "any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft, or an aircraft being developed as a model aircr
Lets put more junk in the sky and space. (Score:2)
Democratized = Everybody Being Watched (Score:2)
This guy is deluding himself. First, more surveillance cannot be a good thing. Period. There's too much damned snooping around in other peoples' business already. And second, I'll bet my next stimulus check that most people with drones are not using them to document social injustice or do climate change research. They are using them to take high-altitude photos of their house, or their farm, or the beach on a weekend. They are buzzing them around in their back yard on Saturdays and annoying their nei
No, they do not. (Score:1)
No, it won't (Score:1)
Didn't East Germany try this? (Score:1)
No. (Score:1)