'DRONE' Rights: The Genie's Out of the Bottle - Now What?

[easyt65]

'DRONES'....They are the latest, greatest new 'toy', and seemingly anyone can get them now. So WHO decides what is legal and what is not, what are the limits, and what are the 'Rights' of those who own them.

There's the EXTREME case:
Obama has his own personal Drone Assassination Program. According to an investigation and defense of the program: He 'owns' the drones. He nominates the Targets. He is the only one who has the authority to decide who lives or dies. While he talks, when convenient, about 'Due Process' he also declares that it is his 'right' / within his authority to run this program and kill anyone he sees fit to target...as a matter of National Security - even Americans. (An 'authority' he is not given in the Constitution, btw.)

Then there is the 'moderate' case:
After declaring Syria a 'No Fly Zone', Russia intercepts US Drone in Syrian airspace.
EXCLUSIVE: Russian jets 'intercept' US predator drones over Syria, officials say
The Russians have not attempted to shoot down any of the U.S. drones, but instead have flown "intercept tracks," a doctrinal term meaning the Russians flew close enough to make their presence felt, according to one official. One other official said, “the Russians flew very close, but did not impede the drone flight.” US spokesmen said the 1st time it happened we thought the Russians got lucky...and now it has happened twice more. 'The Russians can detect, monitor, and intercept our drones.' Before long, the Russians will shoot down a drone to send a message - 'stay out'.

Then there are the smaller problems: Commercially and Locally-owned Drones:

Businesses are starting to use them to deliver packages.
- What's to stop them from engaging in corporate espionage? Just fly one outside a skyscraper window with listening devices and / or cameras...
- The FAA has already stated that drones have become a problem and that there have been cases where aircraft have had near-misses with un-reported, untracked drones.

Ordinary citizens now have them....and as expected, they are being used for 'other than ethical' reasons.

A month ago there was a story about a man who used a shotgun to shoot a drone out of the sky that was hovering over his back yard filming his daughter sunbathing outside. The man was charged and arrested for destroying private property (yes, even though it was over his back yard) and illegal discharge of a fire-arm.
- To me, that's B$. It's over 'my' property, and 'I' assessed it to be a 'threat' to my family. The police said he should have just called them. I lean toward the home owner's position, as you can tell.

Now today there is another story of a man shooting down a drone with a mounted camera that was hovering over a man's yard watching the man's wife. The drone owner claims the drone was 'too high' to be a problem; however, the owner admitted that the camera takes pictures and sends them down to his iphone. He then blows up (enlarges) the pictures. He says he only uses it to take pictures of neighbors' yards and houses and then 'gives' them to them. (Riiiight!)

Ascension Parish resident shoots down neighbor’s drone, says wife felt like it was watching her

“(The FAA) seriously recommends getting permission from the property owner” if you want to fly a drone over their property, Sheriff Webre said. No charges have been filed.

So, what would YOU do if you found a drone hovering over your back yard....especially if it was taking photos of your wife/daughter?

Who's in the 'right' and who has 'rights'? What should those be? Limits?

Welcome to the new age....

 

[waltky]

One of these days...

'It Is Almost Inevitable That We Have a Drone Hit an Aircraft'
October 8, 2015 | The Federal Aviation Administration aims to publish final regulations governing the safe use of small (under-55-pound) drones by June of next year, but those rules may not come soon enough, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) told the House Aviation Subcommittee on Wednesday:

"What will probably propel this maybe -- actually propel your schedule -- is going to be a very serious accident or incident. I can almost predict there will be one. There are so many of these now flying that it is almost inevitable that we have a drone hit an aircraft, and there will be probably injuries, hopefully not fatalities. "These drones are up to 55 pounds," Mica continued. "I remember going to a testing site...They would throw like a 40-pound frozen bird or something into an aircraft engine, and I saw what that did. These can do as much damage, and you know, I don't need another test to show what will happen. And it probably will happen. Maybe that will speed things up."

A New York man launches a small drone equipped with a video camera to fly over the scene of an explosion that leveled two apartment buildings in the East Harlem neighborhood.​

Michael Whitaker, deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, told Mica that pilots are now reporting around one hundred near-misses with drones every month, a five-fold increase from a year ago. "That's 1,200 a year," Mica cut in. Whitaker said of all those near misses, there have been hundreds of investigations, but only 20 "enforcement actions involving civil penalties," which include fines of up to $25,000 per incident. Whitaker told the panel that one of the biggest challenges for the FAA is locating drone operators who are flying their vehicles too close to airports: "If you look at these pilot reports, they tell us where the uas is but they don't tell us where the operator is," he said.

The FAA announced on Wednesday that it has just started testing technology that will track radio signals to locate both drones and the people operating them within a five-mile radius of airports. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) also expressed concern about the "responsible operation" of unmanned aerial vehicles. "We're talking about a whole new generation of people -- the same people who the word cellphone and etiquette don't go together -- are now getting their hands on drones, and I'm worried about responsible operation," Defazio said. Captain Tim Canoll, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, told DeFazio that drones do contain batteries. "And these are dense, heavy metal pieces that will wreak havoc on the aircraft.

MORE

 

[bucs90]

For one....everyone who owns one of these drones and flies it anywhere other than their own property needs a punch in the face. And their drone should be shot down or captured in some way and destroyed.

Eventually....a Supreme Court case will arise that sets "air space" standards over personal private property. Possibly require registration just like a car and the owner is 100% liable for anything it does.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

For one....everyone who owns one of these drones and flies it anywhere other than their own property needs a punch in the face. And their drone should be shot down or captured in some way and destroyed.

Eventually....a Supreme Court case will arise that sets "air space" standards over personal private property. Possibly require registration just like a car and the owner is 100% liable for anything it does.

/ thread

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Remember when they were called Radio-Controlled Models or Toys. Calling a toy a drone reveals a prejudice against them. And considering there's no difference between modern variants and model aircraft I think it's a mistake to think of something as anything but a toy.