I say it over and over again: Are we creating a future we will actually want to live in in this country? The American people are too preoccupied and fractured to address some hyper-critical decisions that are being quietly made with such significant long term implications.
It all started with the funding of security cameras at quarter mile increments down the interstates and along the streets, with the average American being photographed over 300 times a day. But, the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of cameras that line our roads aren’t enough.
This article causes me great concern!
With little public attention, dozens of universities and law-enforcement agencies have been given approval by federal aviation regulators to use unmanned aircraft known as drones, according to documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests by an advocacy group [EFF].
The more than 50 institutions that received approvals to operate remotely piloted aircraft are more varied than many outsiders and privacy experts previously knew. They include not only agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security but also smaller ones such as the police departments … as well [as universities]… .
The information, released by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, came to light as the Federal Aviation Administration gears up to advance the widespread use of the drones. By the fall of 2015, Congress wants the agency to integrate remotely piloted aircraft throughout U.S. airspace. …
“Many drones are designed to carry surveillance equipment, including video cameras, infrared thermal imagers, radar and wireless network ‘sniffers,'”…
“The very same drone that was staking out a nest of insurgents and possibly shooting them could be deployed in New York for surveillance” after removal of weaponry, Mr. Calo said.
Source: Drone Use Takes Off on the Home Front by By ANDY PASZTOR and JOHN EMSHWILLER from the Wall Street Journal
Over 300 applications have been approved.
Harvard is developing robotic flying insects the size of a fly.
And while one can imagine legitimate uses for such devices, I hardly trust our government or economic structures in this country to not recklessly and fully embrace nefarious use of this technology.
Oh, incidentally, the drones pictured in this post were purchased by Google. Hmm, wonder what they are up to with their “Do no evil.” motto?!
Trust me on this: as America becomes more and more of a third world nation, with more and more middle class citizens becoming impoverished (as the wealthy transglobal corporations continue to ship the jobs overseas and the American market becomes irrelevant when compared to the enormous market potential in India and China), these little bad puppies are going to keep an eye on you. The KGB and the Gestapo will pale in comparison to the information the NSA and TSA and FBI and who knows who else will have on each of us.
Government of, for, and by the people. What a joke! This is going to end very badly.
Related articles
- FAA approves spy drones to fly US skies (alethonews.wordpress.com)
- US Drone Use Takes Off On Home Front (myfoxdc.com)
The local police continues to be more and more militarized and no one is alarmed. We all should be very alarmed.