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Ethical Use Of Drones Essay

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Ethical Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles The ethical question of the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drones have received significant attention in the War on Terror in Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia. Drones have a long history of use in both combat and reconnaissance roles. The technology is advancing; however, the use of drones is documented back to August 22, 1849 (Shaw, 2014, para. 4). Since that time drones have become increasing complex and effective. Mainly used as a military tool the drone’s advances in recent time have opened it to a law enforcement tool, which begs the question, is it ethical to use drones for law enforcement? To answer the question we must first define a drone. A drone is a pilot less aircraft …show more content…

In a drone the pilot may be the programmer of the flight path or remotely operating the controls of the drone. A piloted aerial vehicle has a pilot in the aircraft at the controls. The pilots of both a drone and piloted aerial vehicle control the actions of the aircraft. As stated before, the only difference between a drone and piloted aircraft is the location of the pilot. Piloted aircraft have been used ethically as a law enforcement tool since the 1920s ("Fixed Wing Aircraft," 2009, p. …show more content…

280-289). These laws appear to apply only to drone usage and no other equipment, with the exception of Montana. Montana seems to follow or incorporate the Fourth Amendment in its drone law. The exception requires that evidence gathered is “in accordance with judicially recognized exceptions to the warrant requirement.” (Matiteyahu, 2015, p. 286). Montana may have a better understanding of a drone than other states with drone laws. This writer opines the apprehension for states to allow drone usage is based on the fear of new technology and the unknown. This is based on media attention given to drone usage in the War on Terror and its negative implications. It appears politicians had a knee jerk reaction to enacting laws against drone usage, due to public perception without a basis in

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