When considering the usage of unmanned aerial systems, a multitude of controversies arise over their implementation, namely over issues of legality and policy, to name a few. The use of unmanned aerial systems themselves does not change the legal analysis regarding the United States government’s killing policy, however, the way in which these devices are used to combat terrorism raises some questions about international law, mainly due to the conflict itself, the location and identity of the target of the drones, and the location and identity of the operator themselves. Since many CIA personnel who conduct many targeting operations do not wear uniforms, they violate the principle of distinction and are considered, under international law, as unlawful combatants. They then become military targets in the United States government’s conflict with Al Qaeda and could be prosecuted for law of war violations that are committed by the drones they are in control of.
Issues over policy also arises over the usage of unmanned aerial systems, which includes a myriad of arguments. In the United States, there are many military jobs in which personnel are ejected from the battleground, but are still required to kill the enemy. Drones connect their operators in the government more closely with the battlefield, inherently raising the magnitude of the potential consequences of their decisions over other weapons. People may believe that the use of drones is risk free, however, intelligence, assistance, and ground support is required by people in harm’s way.
More importantly, the use of drones can pose a danger to our safety as well as our privacy as we go about our lives. Imagine hearing a the sound of a drone approaching in your own yard, you first think it may be a swarm of insects, but you realize it truly is an unmanned aircraft. While some are accepting of this, people are also concerned with how exactly we will know who is behind the drones that will be causing more air traffic. How will we know whether it is someone playing a prank or someone behind a malicious, dangerous, scheme? Technology, though it is powerful and can do great things, can also fall into the wrong hands and can pose an immense threat to the people of our country. How will we be able to differentiate between the drones of those who are friends from those who are enemies? The presence of drones simply flying about over the property of common American citizens definitely seems like an utter invasion of privacy. Privacy concerns and the rights of individuals must be balanced by the 1st Amendment protections of newsgathering. Drone ubiquity raises concerns that the average person cannot know who is in control of the drone as well as fear about how the data will be used and by whom.
Expanding on the issue of the privacy concerns raised by the usage of drones, a bill was proposed in South Carolina that outlawed the use of drones over private property, to prevent any invasions of privacy, especially if it interferes the right of those who are in possession of this property. People are even beginning to shoot down drones that fly over their property due to the privacy concerns raised by them hovering over other people’s properties. No such laws exist to regulate the usage of drones, so the entitlement to privacy people possess is essentially voided with the continuation of the usage of drones. In addition, many people are worried over the drones used by businesses. Businesses could unfairly utilize drones to collect information such as wireless signals to determine people’s locations, which has been done before by a marketing company (as a test) in Los Angeles not too long ago. Drones have the ability to intercept text messages, phone calls, and the ability to hack into wi-fi networks, all of which, could invade privacy or cause threats if the machine falls into the wrong hands.
Along with the multitude of pure privacy issues the usage of drones raises, there also exists issues of the usage of drones regarding safety. With the increasing usage of drones by common people to simply deliver gifts and activities of that sort coupled with the decreasing price of drones, the continued implementation of drones may cause a lot of traffic in the air which could easily lead to drone failure or even accidents that result in complete drone destruction. Suppose this occurs over a home and the home is damaged or the people who live in the home are hurt due to this mistake caused by an over influx of drones. On top of being able to spy on people and harass them, drones pose another threat to the other aircrafts flying around in the air, which as stated above, could lead to an accident, potentially harming human lives. A drone colliding with a helicopter and an airplane as one of them are taking off could fatally disturb their flight path, potentially harming or even killing hundreds of innocent individuals.
To conclude, controversies over the usage of drones mostly concern legality and policy over international law for the operators of drones as well as concerns over the safety of people in our own military, however the primary concerns revolve around our right as American citizens to our privacy on our property as well as the general safety of the republic.