Privacy, Safety Concerns Over Drones Above US Soil

The FAA is writing rules for unmanned vehicle flight in US airspace.

Published

about 1 year ago

Categories

US, US Politics

Topics

Politics & Government, United States

Places

United States of America, Afghanistan

Tags

law enforcement, homeland security, federal aviation administration, us congress, us government, unmanned drones, faa, spy drones, spying, predator drone, drone, civil liberty, taliban, privacy

Transcript

Script[Notes:SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE][VO:][Notes:VIDEO FROM DRONE ATTACK IN AFGHANISTAN][VOICE-OVER]TRACK#1 THE VIDEO IS FAMILIAR - AN ARMED DRONE HOVERS ABOVE A SUSPECTED TALIBAN STRONGHOLD.A GRAINY PICTURE COLLAPSES AS SHOCK WAVES BLAST BACK ON THE CAMERA[Notes:VO - COURTESY STARK AEROSYSTEMS][Notes:UNARMED DRONE IN US AIRSPACE]SIMILAR CIVILIAN COUSINS OF MILITARY DRONES WILL SOON BE FLYING IN AMERICAN AIR SPACE.THIS, DESPITE SAFETY QUESTIONS AND PRIVACY CONCERNS.[SOT/](CHRIS STEPHENSON - NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION)("Safety is our first priority. And we understand that unmanned aircraft are on the horizon. In fact, they're pretty much a tsunami headed for the front porch.")[Notes:SOURCE: AP TELEVISION][Notes:VO: VARIOUS OF CONTROL CENTER FOR DRONES][VOICE-OVER]TRACK#2WHAT CONCERNS MANY IS THE SO-CALLED "LOSS-LINK" SCENARIO WHERE THE GROUND CONTROLLER LOOSES CONTACT WITH THE DRONE.THE WANDERING VEHICLE THEN BECOMES A POTENTIAL DEADLY THREAT TO A COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT IN THE SAME AIRSPACE.[Notes:SOURCE: AP TELEVISION][SOT/](John Appleby, Homeland Security)("We have to develop on board sensors, radar and other sensors that will alet the aircraft to an impending air intruder, a mid-air collision, and maneuver to avoid that collision before it ever even happens.")[VOICE-OVER]TRACK#3UNDER RECENT LEGISLATION, CONGRESS MANDATED THE FAA PUBLISH RULES FOR UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEMS BY SEPTEMBER 2015.[Notes:SOURCE: AP PHOTOS - Restricted - no usage Canada/no sales/no internet usage][Notes:VO - IMAGE OF HOMELAND SECURITY SURVEILLANCE DRONE]THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ALREADY OPERATES A SMALL FLEET OF REAPER DRONES ALONG THE CANADIAN AND MEXICAN BORDERS.THE FLEET PROVIDES 24/7 SURVEILLANCE OF BORDER AREAS AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION UNDER A SPECIAL WAIVER FROM THE FAA.[Notes:SOURCE: AP PHOTOS - Restricted - no usage Canada/no sales/no internet usage][Notes:VO: IMAGE OF GLOBAL HAWK AIR FORCE DRONE]DRONES COME IN MANY SIZES - FROM THE HIGH FLYING GLOBAL HAWK WITH ITS 116-FOOT WINGSPAN - [Notes:VO: Demonstration of hummingbird drone][Notes:SOURCE: AP TELEVISION]TO A HUMMINGBIRD LIKE DRONE THAT WEIGHS LESS THAN A DOUBLE "A" BATTERY.POTENTIAL CIVILIAN USERS INCLUDE POWER COMPANIES MONITORING TRANSMISSION LINES, FARMERS CHECKING ON CROPS OR CATTLE, AND OIL COMPANIES INSPECTING PIPELINES AND OIL SPILLS.[NATSOT:][Notes:VO: Aerial surveillance of two men exchangings guns in isolated area][Notes:SOURCE: VANGUARD INDUSTRIES][Notes:NOTE: DEMONSTRATION]BUT THE BIGGEST BENEFIT WILL BE LAW ENFORCEMENTUNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEMS ARE MUCH CHEARPER THAN FUEL FOR A HELICOPTER AND A PILOT PAYCHECK.ALL SELLING POINTS FOR THE SHADOW HAWK UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM.OPTIONS INCLUDE A 40 MM GRENDADE LAUNCHER AND A 12 GUAGE SHOTGUN MOUNTED ON THE AERIAL PLATFORM.AS SAFETY MEASURES, THE SHADOW HAWK IS EQUIPPED WITH A KEVLAR FUEL TANK AND A TRANSPONDER TO AVERT A "NEAR MISS"[Notes:SOURCE: AP TELEVISION]HEADQUARTERED OUTSIDE HOUSTON, TEXAS, VANGUARD DEFENSE SYSTEMS IS ENGAGED IN A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT WITH A NEARBY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.[SOT/](MIKE BUSCHER, VANGUARD INDUSTRIES CEO)("So, with the aircraft, you can put that aircraft up at 4 or 5-hundred feet, be able to scan the area for other individuals and again, contain it more visably from the air than you could from the ground.")[VO:]Aerial view of two men at a trunk[VOICE-OVER]TRACK#4ALONG WITH THIS NEW POLICE TOOL COMES HEIGHTENED PRIVACY CONCERNS.CAN A DEPARTMENT SEND UP A DRONE FOR AERIAL SURVEILLANCE WITHOUT A WARRANT?[SOT/](Jay Stanley, ACLU)("We would like to see rules on law enforcement organizations that basically limit their use to when police have a warrant or have reason to believe that there's evidence of a crime that they would be able to detect using the drones.")[VO:]COURTESY - STARK AEROSYSTEMSDrones taking off and flying[VOICE-OVER]TRACK#5WHAT STANDARDS FOR FLIGHT THE FAA WRITES, AND HOW THE COURTS ADDRESS PRIVACY ISSUES WILL DETERMINE HOW CROWDED THE AIRSPACE BECOMES IN THE NEXT DECADE.[SIGOUT/REPORTER, LOCATION, ASSOCIATED PRESS]TOM RITCHIE, ASSOCIATED PRESS