You’ve
probably heard about Domino’s testing drones as a faster way to get pizza from
your door. Drones have been used more frequently from farmers and scientist to
Hollywood directors, but the amount of these unmanned vehicles in the sky are
starting to raise questions. The article “Invasion of The Drones” by Patricia
Smith is about the concerns people have with drones. In the beginning of the
article the author tells the story of Mandy Lingard and how her privacy was
invaded by drones. Then the article talks about warfare and safety issues
people have with drones. The author is trying to say that drones are dangerous
and are violating laws.
The
author, Patricia Smith, is trying to say that drones are dangerous and are
violating laws. For example, the author says, “Sunbathing topless in the
privacy of her secluded backyard, Mandy Lingard dismissed the buzzing she heard
overhead as coming from some kind of toy, In fact, it was a drone hired by a
real estate agent to take aerial photos of the property next door to her house.
Lingard was later horrified to discover a picture the drone had taken showing
her mostly naked body in billboard real estate ads.” This is a major privacy
concern because it shows that drones can hover over our cities and towns 24/7
and track where everybody travels. Many people think this is illegal because
the Fourth Amendment protects Americans from “unreasonable searches and
seizures,” but does it stop the police from hovering over us? Does the use of these drones to spy on us
count as an unreasonable search. In 20 states lawmakers have passed regulations
on drones with most laws addressing privacy concerns. Another example is, the
author said, “Last Spring, a 375-pound drone operated by the Pennsylvania Army
National Guard crashed outside an elementary school near Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania.” If school was in session many people would be hurt. Recently
there have been many near misses between drones and airplanes because either
the drones have escaped their controllers’ command, they got software glitches,
or gusts of wind knocked them into trees, buildings, or the ground. Another
example is, the author said, “Drones have, in essence, given presidents leeway
to wage remote control war.” Although it may sound like a good idea because it
prevents a lot of death, one, the drones can miss targets and end up killing
innocent people, and two, it is illegal for the president to wage war without
congressional approval. If the president does get permission though there are a
lot more risks that aren’t worth taking. This shows that the author is trying
to say that drones are dangerous and are violating laws.
In
conclusion, the author showed how drones are a danger to us and that they
violate our laws. I realized that although drones may look cool and do cool
things, drones break many laws and are a danger to our community. I don’t think
we should use drones in our life because of all the problems they cause. One
problem is that there is a major security issue. Another is that there is a
major safety issue, and finally the last problem is that using drones in war
can cause more harm than help.
