Mass Hysteria Over Drones Flying in the Night Sky? It Didn’t Have to Be This Way

EPIC: “Recent nighttime drone sightings in New Jersey and other places have gained national attention because of the mystery that surrounds the drones—Who is flying them? What are the drones doing? Why are the drones appearing now? Numerous theories popped up to fill the void left by the lack of information—from alien invasion to foreign spying. The more sober and likely explanation attributes most of the drone sightings to a combination of planes being mistaken for drones and perfectly legal nighttime drone flights by hobbyist and local law enforcement or other government or commercial entities. Understandably people are freaked out by mysterious flying objects roaming around at night. The fact that the government cannot quickly and easily provide enough details about the drone sightings to quell any suspicion that the drones might be up to nefarious activities only adds to the growing unease of drones in the sky. It comes as no surprise that drones are causing such a stir when they are essentially mobile surveillance platforms that can go places traditional manned aircrafts cannot. Aerial surveillance used to be very expensive and required a pilot. Drones have made aerial surveillance inexpensive and readily accessible. Most drones are equipped with cameras. Even common consumer drones can have high-powered cameras with impressive resolution and zoom capabilities. This is not to even speak of enterprise-level drones used by first responders or used in industrial applications like critical infrastructure inspection. Enterprise drone capabilities don’t stop with just higher resolution cameras with even better zoom but can include, for example, infrared cameras and the ability to fly autonomously at night—scary capabilities for a flying surveillance platform that can easily access traditional constitutionally protected areas like backyards and other areas around a home. Tall fences and windows high above the ground won’t protect from the gaze of a drone. Add the fact that these drones are flying at night, something the FAA only started to allow about a year ago, and it’s not unreasonable for people to be upset about all the drones and the lack of definitive information on them. It didn’t have to be this way. The FAA has failed to fully address the privacy issues (real and/or perceived) that drones have and will create in communities across the country as they become common occurrences in the sky. It is not for lack of awareness. The FAA has been fully aware that addressing privacy issues is critical to implementing drones into the national airspace—the agency just hasn’t cared to actually do it…”