Drones are getting cheaper and their uses creepier

Nov 18, 2014 09:23 GMT  ·  By

Not a week goes by without something new related to drones popping up, although the public’s reaction to them is quite mixed.

Some people love drones and think of them as incredible, creative tools, while others fear their innate ability of snooping around.

Last week, we talked about the experimental drone produced by NASA that can biodegrade once it hits the soil, making it even more difficult to be detected.

Anyway, we’re still quite far from seeing such drones go mainstream on the market, but the thing is prices for drones have been going down and now more and more people have the possibility of purchasing one.

Drones can also be used for evil

Which is all swell and fine, but also the reason why the police have reported an increased nember of complaints filed by people who claim they have been harassed by drones.

Drones are certainly tools that could take stalking and tracking to the next levels and a House of Lords committee was informed that quadcopters were being flown in protected airspace, informs BBC.

So Police are faced with the pretty tough challenge of figuring out who exactly is responsible for flying the drones.

The Lords Internal Market, Infrastructure and Employment Committee is currently looking into how civilians use drones. The inspector in charge drew attention that drones aka “things that fly and do not have pilots to them” could be used in “reckless” or “malicious” ways.

Complaints made by people who feel they have been harassed by drones don’t really fall under criminal jurisdiction, but other form of legislation could be used to counter these “attacks.”

These include laws against voyeurism, in case the flying copters are caught “hovering outside people’s bedrooms for whatever nefarious reasons.”

Nonetheless, catching the person flying the drone remains quite difficult. If a drone passes by your window, one wouldn't be able to identify the snooper unless the police arrives on the scene immediately.

Police also revealed drones have been used to embarrass people, either VIPs or members of the public. For example, a drone has been flown in protest in front of guest German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the UK.

Police seems to be powerless against drones

This police report raises awareness over concerns that technology might end up being used in all kinds of wrong scenarios. What’s a little bit unsettling is that the force recognizes not having the necessary means to quickly address these problems.

This means better strategies for dealing with drones have to be created, but this process is taking quite a lot of time.

Drones Are Harrassing People (7 Images)

Drones are used to harass people
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