The history of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) can be traced back to precursors of war. For example, in 1849 when the Austrians attacked Venice with bombs controlled by timed fuses that were carried by unmanned balloons across the skies. Or in World War I, when two Americans helped push UAV technology further by creating the Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane: a pilotless aircraft capable of bombing a target within a 48 km range and within an accuracy of 3 km. Furthermore, the rise of the digital age industrialized drone tech far beyond conventional war games by expanding their efficiencies and abilities at a truly staggering pace. From the primitive drone tech in Europe to the capability of today’s drones that can cover over five thousand meters per second—with and without bombs—it is clear: drones have come a long way in a short period of time and they are here to stay. And citizens should probably be worried.
In Canada, drones have been used for a variety of purposes. The RCMP has utilized them in search-and-rescue operations. Academics at McGill University, such as David Bird, have benefited from the application of unmanned aerial vehicles for wildlife studies. Meanwhile, private industries have used drones for pipeline inspection and surveillance of forest fires. Perhaps this demonstrates that drones can be used for peaceful purposes. On the other hand, the military has used drones for targeted killing and surveillance programs. With this in mind, this does not mean that drones are entirely good or entirely bad but rather that citizens must be cognizant of the political boundaries within which we live and how attempts to address life-threatening issues, academic inquires or safety concerns may lead to greater problems down the road. After all, various technologies have improved our lives one day but yet harmed them the next.
The reason why some believe that we should be all worried about drones is because they are extremely low cost but yet highly invasive. Drone usage might have high public approval when it comes to search-and-rescue missions but yet be highly unfavorable for every day surveillance. In relation to privacy infringements, whether by legislation or invasive technologies, reductions in personal privacy appear to be generally introduced into society under the guise for a need for increased national security and public safety. This has been one argument for the need of drones in Canada and elsewhere. While legitimate threats to governments and nations do exist, foreign and domestic responses to address such threats often come at a significant personal and social cost (as does almost everything else). However, a serious problem arises when drone technologies are introduced into certain segments of society, no matter how good they appear to help in that area, as they are most certain to be applied in other aspects of society. And when they are, they can be hard to take out.
