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Eric Schmidt: Regulate Civilian Drones Now
An anonymous reader writes "Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is urging lawmakers to regulate the use of unmanned aircraft by civilians — and quickly. He posed this hypothetical situation to The Guardian: 'You're having a dispute with your neighbor. How would you feel if your neighbor went over and bought a commercial observation drone that they can launch from their backyard. It just flies over your house all day. How would you feel about it?' Schmidt went on to bring up military and terrorist concerns. 'I'm not going to pass judgment on whether armies should exist, but I would prefer to not spread and democratize the ability to fight war to every single human being. It's got to be regulated... It's one thing for governments, who have some legitimacy in what they're doing, but have other people doing it... it's not going to happen.'"
Only a terrorist would object to surveillance 24/7. What are you hiding? Think of the children? 9/11 forever!!
Somehow it doesn't surprise me that someone with your user name gets into weird neighborhood disputes.........
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
.... news at 11.
FYI I know someone who did that while drunk and found an electric fence....talk about grounded!
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
I don't think he's having rich people problems, it's just he's concerned that a (currently new) technology, once matured, could be used - even in a well meaning way - to track and compromise the privacy of ordinary people just going about their ordinary business, by third parties who feel they need the information to do their jobs. For example, a drone might be operated by a company that sells advertising, tracking things like what stores you go to and who your friends are, so that it can deliver advertising more appropriate to your interests.
I'm pretty sure that's what Schmidt is concerned about, anyway.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.