The easiest way to gain these images from above is using satellite technology, which is already commonly available to anyone interested, and the military satellites are even starting to use technology that can see through clouds. These along with manned aircraft are numerous simple ways to gather the same information that drones can gather, but sadly people are looking into this very blindly and are blaming the hobbyist community.
So far this debate has just been confined to the United States of America, but it has been raising awareness in other countries, such as New Zealand. The police force and the fire service have recently purchased small drones similar to the ones used by hobbyists, and this news had made the headlines in the local newspapers. But this news was not presented with joy, as it was warning people about their privacy and portraying these small helicopters as monsters in the sky, comparing them to the MQ-9 Reaper drones used in the Middle East. New Zealand is a country which often over regulates things, and this fate is likely on the way for drones. Unless we raise awareness about all sides of the debate, people will try to outright ban drones, and as I have mentioned before, this is not the right way to go about this issue. Unknown to many people, New Zealand actually has numerous commercial ‘Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’ operators, with most of them being used for aerial filming or photography and surveying purposes. One such operator, Tim Whittaker, owns numerous drones, and believes that drones can be used safely with the right precautions. Mr Whittaker also believes that drones would have come in useful during the 2009 ‘Napier Siege’, where a gunman kept police at bay for 3 days. It took the police 2 days to get a robot that could break down the door, while a drone could have flown up and looked into the window with in no time. And as Mr Whittaker stated: “It's relatively cheap ... if it got blown out with a double-barrelled shotgun, well, better than a person”. This is a great example of why the police force has a great need for drones, and why a blanket ban or too tight regulations would not be suitable.
Drones are feared around the world, and perhaps the have earned this fear through the United States Military. But drones are used for many peaceful and safe purposes around the world, where they abolish the need of putting someone’s life into risk. A lot of people do not seem to realise this, and just want drones to be banned. I believe this would be a bad thing, as it would severely cripple the industry and hobby of many. While laws and regulations do need to be revised to match the new technology available, this should be thought of carefully, with all sides of the debate taken into close account. People just aren’t used to drones, and I believe that they will be considered normal in no time. This is how our human society works! When the first trains appeared, there was a similar resistance. Now think of the use of vehicles in today’s time. We are an advancing civilization, and new technology is part of our culture. Drones are just the next step. At least drones are under human control. They are not free thinking robots; they are just advanced remote control planes, where you don’t have to risk a pilot’s life. Just because drones usually carry cameras does not mean that planes cannot do the same. Think of the old saying: ‘Guns don’t kill people, the man behind the gun does’. This applies to drones just as much: ‘Drones don’t spy on people, the person controlling the drone does’.