Ever-advancing information technology has digitised everything from paperwork, to how many of us go shopping or even how we socialise.
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we → advance → shopping
It now steps deeper into the physical world - through drones.
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It → step → drones
But as the skies fill with code-driven machines flying over our cities and streets, the question emerges: can the public’s right to privacy survive in an era of airborne, automated scrutiny?
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right → fill → scrutiny
That’s an issue Seattle-based drone maker BRINC is confronting, as it designs and produces specialised drones for use by first responders such as police and fire departments.
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it → ’ → departments
The company makes drones that can conduct indoor tactical missions (including breaking windows to enter premises), outdoor response vehicles for monitoring a fire from above, and a drone-as-a-first-responder model to attend police call-outs.
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that → make → outs
BRINC VP for strategy David Benowitz said whereas computers changed how the service-economy functions, “drones really change how we do work out there,” gesturing outside.
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we → say → strategy
Whether its mining, utilities, public safety or disaster-recovery, “all these things that are inherently hard to digitise are now much easier” to convert to code.
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that → it → code
“Because drones can be used to fly ahead, take photos, videos, collect that information and get people to act on them,” Benowitz said.
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Benowitz → use → them
“So drones digitise the physical space.”
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drones → digitise → space
The company makes a number of first-responder drones, which can be used to monitor and investigate live crime scenes and fires.
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which → make → scenes
BRINC also makes self-contained docks, from which drones can be launched and guided remotely by law enforcement.
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drones → make → enforcement
While aerial drones are the majority of BRINC’s production, the company also makes a nearly indestructible two-way communication ball used by police for de-escalation and rescue situations.
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company → make → situations
It allows first responders to throw the ball into the window or behind the door of a high-risk location, and communicate with inhabitants without putting officers at risk.
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responders → allow → risk
But the prospect of police departments integrating drones into their workflow raises questions about privacy and police accountability.
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departments → integrate → privacy
Add in the capability of the drone tech to use facial-recognition software and the concerns escalate.
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concerns → add → software
Indeed, in the US there is a growing backlash against the use of automatic licence-plate readers (ALPR) by police forces, a tool which has long been used in Australia.
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which → be → Australia
The prospect of drones flying overhead, hoovering up the personal information of bystanders, which can be fed into databases and mined, is a parallel concern for many.
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which → fly → many
Benowitz acknowledges the risk of digital surveillance, from a company whose main customers are law enforcement.
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customers → acknowledge → company
However, BRINC software is engineered to at least encourage accountability.
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software → engineer → accountability
One of the major differences between first responder drones and ALPR is that ALPR is a “persistent surveillance system, in where they’re always on, always listening, always checking for things.”
The drone as first responder, meanwhile, is “responding to a call for service and so it’s inherently a response tool,” Benowitz said.
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Benowitz → ’re → service
“So you’re only going to see a drone out there if there’s a reason for it to be launched.”
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it → go → drone
BRINC also has an automated transparency dashboard in which flights get published to a public dashboard that’s specific to the agency, Benowitz said.
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Benowitz → have → agency
So anyone can look up that flight, see what the case number is.
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number → look → flight
The log shows who flew what drone and when, and who had access to the footage, he said.
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he → show → footage
“So if you’re a member of the public who sees a drone flying in an area that a BRINC DFR product is being deployed in, you could Google that, find the agency, find the flight,” he said.
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he → ’re → flight
Then you can put in a freedom of information request for that flight as well.
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you → put → flight
“So there’s a lot of accountability built in,” Benowitz said.
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Benowitz → ’ → accountability
BRINC drones’ cameras are horizon-facing when flying to the scene, so they don’t scan people’s back gardens and uncovered patios en route, he said.
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he → face → route
Australia’s law enforcement agencies have fully embraced the use of drones.
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agencies → embrace → drones
WA police use a variety of drones made by China’s DJI in their operations.
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police → use → operations
Surf Life Saving NSW use drones for shark patrol and other operations, and use “drone in a box” (self-contained drone systems that can be deployed remotely) for their operations, while CFA Victoria use drones for bushfire monitoring and operations.
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Victoria → use → monitoring
Police in NSW have used drones in the regional town of Moree – controlled 500 km away in Bankstown, Sydney – to track suspects including a man wanted for an alleged machete attack, and another man arrested on outstanding warrants for alleged burglary.
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Police → use → burglary
The so-called PolAir-Remote trial has raised fears of surveillance in the regional community.
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trial → call → community
The Department of Transport oversees drone privacy issues for commercial and recreational users.
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Department → oversee → users
The Office of The Australian Information Commission enforces the Privacy Act, which covers Australian Government agencies’ rules in using drones.
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which → enforce → drones
However, state police drone operations are typically governed by state and territory privacy and surveillance laws
And there are other questions relating to the digital security of drones: where they come from.
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they → govern → where
The drone industry is dominated by one major company, China-based DJI.
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industry → dominate → company
China controls 80 to 90 per cent of the global drone market, according to the Centre for European Policy Analysis, through control of critical minerals and raw materials supplies and the production of drone components.
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China → control → components
Swinburne University senior lecturer in aviation Adetokunbo Arogbonlo said the major drone brand used by law enforcement was DJI, “by a long mile”.
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brand → say → mile
Australia has some sovereign-built drones, used more often by defence than law enforcement.
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Australia → have → enforcement
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
