New technology from Paladin, a startup in Houston, allows first responders to operate drones remotely from anywhere with unlimited range by simply using a web browser. The technology allows police to use drones with license plate readers and gunshot detectors while piloting them from tens, hundreds, even thousands of miles away. As a result, the initiative is sparking major privacy concerns.
Police using the technology call it “revolutionary,” allowing them to get eyes on a potential scene before patrol officers can get there.
However, law enforcement’s excitement about the technology to implement more drones as first responder programs raises concerns with civil liberty advocates. These advocates worry that the continued evolution in drone technology without proper oversight will result in the U.S. becoming a surveillance state.
For more than a decade, ACLU Senior Policy Analyst Jay Stanley has been sounding the alarm on privacy concerns as police use unmanned drones.
“It is a very powerful surveillance technology, and we just need to put in place some good basic rules to ensure we can enjoy the benefits of the technology without having to worry that from the moment you walk out of your front door until you get home at night some invisible eye in the sky is tracking your every move,” Stanley said in 2013.
We’re very concerned that we may be moving toward a future where we find ourselves constantly scanning the skies, seeing drones overhead, and feeling like the eyes of law enforcement are always upon us.
Jay Stanley, ACLU Senior Policy Analyst
Now, in 2023, Stanley’s concerns are still pressing. In a July ACLU paper, Stanley said with Federal Aviation Administration regulations changing to allow first responders to fly drones from anywhere and more agencies implementing drones as first responders programs, privacy concerns are more significant than ever.
Paladin is addressing the privacy and surveillance concerns head-on. According to CEO Divy Shrivastava, the company’s technology employed by law enforcement has built-in privacy protections.
Paladin’s software keeps the drone’s camera pointed at the horizon until it reaches a scene to avoid unnecessary privacy intrusions, and everything the drone sees is logged and recorded. Law enforcement agencies have also taken steps to maintain transparency. Some police departments have made all drone flight paths public information.
Police also said the fast-acting drones can give ground units critical information about a situation before arriving, which can help de-escalate situations.
It is not just law enforcement benefitting from the evolution in drone tech. Fire departments are implementing drones as first responder programs to reduce response times and help identify where resources should be deployed to most effectively fight fires.
Paladin also hopes to use its software in other industries like agriculture.
