The Right to Fly Drones
Thousands of homes burned down during the recent deadly Los Angeles wildfires. Given the scale of the wildfire, which has burned more than 30,000 acres, relying solely on firefighters to battle the blazes is not enough. One hope for finally extinguishing the fires in the form of Canadian “Super Scooper” planes has been introduced, scooping and dropping water directly onto fires. However, not only are these planes incredibly rare, only stationed in sparse numbers at fire stations in the United States, but also, losing one of these planes would beat immense costs.
On January 9th, a privately owned drone crashed with one of the Super Scoopers; the damage was large enough to create a hole in its wing and render it malfunctioning for multiple days. Warrants to arrest the flyer for operating a drone out in no-fly zones, especially in the current precarious situation, have been issued. This incident raises an important ethical question: how do we restrict the control and usage of technologies, which are more easily accessible than ever, without violating one’s freedom and rights in our democratic society?
Owning and handling technologies that may interfere with peace and justice should require strict regulations and policies just like what gun ownership requires.
To understand how to handle the responsibilities of owning advanced technologies, education should be required for all users. Most technologies such as drones only include safety warnings in consumer manuals or websites; they never enforce responsibilities or specific policies. Creating the awareness that these products can have serious harmful effects or illegal implications is the first necessary step that must be taken in reducing unnecessary danger. While a Remote Pilot certification or a Recreational UAS Safety Test is required in order to fly a drone, this is not enough to prevent any aerial collisions in the future.
Obtaining a gun license requires a test and a classroom training alongside a background check before being able to fully purchase guns. The government should implement similar laws and policies for drone owners and users.
Rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. To claim one’s right to owning a form of technology that could harm others, one should also be committed to making responsible decisions and executing one’s actions accordingly.
