By: Celene Garnica
In a recent article by Fox News, I was astonished to find that more and more higher education institutions such as Georgia Tech and Cornell University, to name just a couple, are and have been filing for permits to fly unmanned drones above school grounds with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The most amazing part about this story is that the reasons listed for flying the unmanned drones are mainly scientifically based. Over all, these institutions list reasons that sound as simple and innocent such as “to collect atmosphere and weather data” however, to me, the possible ulterior motives are still lingering up in the air (pardon the pun.) According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) they had to file suit with the department of Transportation (DOT) demanding the data as to the real number of filings and the specific reasons listed for the filing of permits to fly the unmanned aircrafts.
As we have learned in this class, we must strive to analyze and ultimately understand the real reasons and implications of such actions, especially if and when pubic funds are being utilized for such efforts. Another disturbing point this article claims is that most students of these institutions may not be aware of these fillings or the reasons rendered.
According to the same article, in 2012, 80 permits were filed with the Federal Aviation Administration. Amazingly enough, 34 of them were from higher education institutions.
As we have learned thus far, surveillance is now a big part of our society and our lives in this country. The question is: Where do we stop? As we have also learned from our reading materials such as the Gilliom and Monahan readings, to some, surveillance is not longer a luxury but also a necessity. And so it seems our higher learning institutions feel the same way.
Flying unmanned drones over institutions of higher learning can be a great way to ensure the administration is a step ahead in collecting information that can help them provide better services. However, this could mean invasion of people’s privacy. The institutions should let the students be aware that they will be random check ups to avoid law suits in the future.
ReplyDelete-Sehun Lee
Celene, I had no idea college campuses are beginning to use surveillance drones. This project sounds both expensive and highly advanced. Many private institutions discover new surveillance methods yet hesitate to inform the public. Broadcasting new technology reduces its potential effect because individuals undergoing surveillance may find ways to circumvent or resist the technology. This article is another excellent example of how little the public population can know and control about private policing. Yet, your second article does demonstrate other measures and actions individuals may take to resist further surveillance.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic Celene. This is especially interesting as it has been receiving much attention over the past few months. As professor mentioned in class today, the article of Senator Rand Paul’s filibuster raised concerns over unmanned drones in the US and the guidelines needed to regulate such drones. I was very interested in the topic and so I looked it up and found another article in which Florida Senator Joe Negron is proposing SB 92 which would “ban local law enforcement officials to use the drones without warrant or there being a threat”(http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/12/3282081/lawmakers-want-drones-grounded.html). According to the article, the proposal is targeting law enforcement’s use of drones and plans to later target private industries. This will be an interesting topic to follow in the months to come especially since the drones flying over these campuses are private institutions.
ReplyDelete-Maria T. Perez
The use of unmanned drones is and will continue to increase in the near future. Like the article states, university's can keep an eye on their students from the comfort of an office with a computer. The military has been using similar drones for years. Now it seems like everyone wants to use drones to surveil. One of my business professors told the class that drones were going to play a huge role in the technology world within the next 3 years. This articles demonstrates why he was correct.
ReplyDeleteKyle porter