Rise of Spy Planes

Back in March on Mind Set Daily I reported about eyes in the sky and how various drones will be filling up American skies soon. Well the FAA was forced to reveal launch sites across the United States. The agency has also released two lists that include the names of all public and private entities that have applied for authorizations to fly drones domestically. There are at least 63 active drone sites around the U.S, federal authorities have been forced to reveal following a landmark Freedom of Information lawsuit. The unmanned planes – some of which may have been designed to kill terror suspects – are being launched from locations in 20 states. Most of the active drones are deployed from military installations, enforcement agencies and border patrol teams, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.

Also 19 universities and colleges are also registered as owners of what are officially known as unmanned aerial vehicles. It is thought that many of institutions, which include Cornell, the University of Colorado, Georgia Tech, and Eastern Gateway Community College, are developing drone technology. There are also 21 mainstream manufactures, such as General Atomics, who are registered to use drones domestically.

Most of the drones are likely to be small craft. Police, border patrols and environmental agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , could use for them effectively. While few would object to vast open areas being monitored for wildfires, there are fears of privacy violations if drones are used to spy over cities. There is a map provided by FAA that shows the locations of drone approved areas, but as far as listing what they are being used for that information isn't available yet. However you perceive drones whether for your safety or not, just know that they are coming. Well perhaps they are already here, above us...

Eyes in the Sky

In the near future you may start seeing drones over your head as all the pieces appear to be lining up for the eventual introduction of routine aerial surveillance in everyday life. Drones small enough to fly around your window or large enough to hover far above the earth, out of site but watching over miles of land will be used in a variety of ways from surveillance to marketing purposes. Police enthusiasm for military weaponry (and a drone industry salivating over a new market) is driving a rapid spread of domestic law enforcement drones, which are already being used by border agents. In February, the FAA was directed to lay out guidelines opening up airspace for commercial and civil drones by 2015, at the latest; the technology is likely to be embraced by property companies, paparazzi, and totally random people who want to spy on others. (There are also many positive uses, like helping track wildfires or oil spills.)

Would you feel observed, regardless of how or whether the information was actually used? Well I have found a list of spy technologies and surveillance programs, military and civilian, that can take to the air on drones within the next few years.

WiFi and phone hacking: The Wireless Aerial Surveillance Platform (WASP) can break into WiFi networks and hack cell phones. Plus, its antennas mimic cell phone towers, allowing the machine, allegedly, to tap into cell phone conversations and access text messages.

NYPD sensor that sees through clothes: The NYPD, which is not known for its cautious approach to the use of surveillance, announced recently that it was perfecting a sensor that uses radiation to reveal weapons hidden under a person's clothes. I could see them attaching these sensor to drones.

Biometrics: Advances in facial recognition, iris scans and other identifying biometric markers are speeding along, with both police departments and federal agencies. Biometrics like facial recognition (and eventually iris scans) are a natural fit for aerial vehicles, as camera zoom and image quality continue to improve. Meanwhile, government databases are collecting more biometric information from more people, making the technology increasingly useful as an identification and tracking tool. The logical outcome: a zoom lens on a drone could zero in and snap a picture that can be scanned and run through a number of databases.

Video analytics:
Private companies, government agencies and academic institutions are working to improve cameras that can hone in on specific objects or people, figure out location, or pick people out of a crowd.

Sense-through-the-wall (STTW) technology: For about a decade various branches of the military have been working to create sensors that can penetrate walls. DARPA's Visibuilding project is working on "surveillance capabilities to detect personnel within buildings, to determine building layouts, and to locate weapons caches and shielded enclosures within buildings.

These are just some of the uses for the drones that will be cluttering our airspace soon. How do you feel about drones being used more in the civilian sector? Safer? Regardless of what we may think or feel about them, the eye in the sky will be watching.