Activist Post

In the ongoing chronicle of the drone surveillance arms race sparked by the United States, the latest installment is the presence of drone surveillance technology at the APCO International 77th Conference and Exposition that was held on August 7-10 at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

APCO International is the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials. Their annual conference is dedicated to the latest technology in the “public safety” sector, focusing on communications across the spectrum. Jammed in amid wireless communications companies, first responder equipment providers, and a host of other data and systems management booths, was Datron World Communications (booth 2013).

Datron does business in 80 countries and specializes in tactical military and public safety radio equipment. They also happen to make the latest entry in aerial drone surveillance: The Datron Scout. Is this a one-off addition to their portfolio, or does it herald an entirely new direction?

The fact that drone surveillance tech is a hot new sector is indisputable. Military contracts are being handed out readily, with AeroVironment announcing another $65 million contract just days ago for their latest product offering. As drone expert, P.W. Singer said, “At this point, it doesn’t really matter if you are against the technology, because it’s coming.” According to Singer, “The miniaturization of drones is where it really gets interesting. You can use these things anywhere, put them anyplace, and the target will never even know they’re being watched.” Drone tech is now being researched in 50 countries, with some pretty strange entries to the race. The Datron Scout is one of a new breed of micro-drone that weighs just 2.6 pounds and can take off vertically and hover in nearly any climate. It’s also virtually idiot-proof to use:

The highly intuitive and intelligent design, says Datron, is based on a touch-screen control interface that meets the needs of soldiers, officers or civilians. (Source)

Wait. Civilians? What training should civilians have in the operation of military-grade drone surveillance vehicles? The willingness to conflate military and civilian applications when discussing drone technology seems like an odd statement, but becomes rather disturbing when we recall Obama’s call for a civilian national security force:

Combine this statement with the obvious roll-out of a citizen spy network across America with the DHS “If You See Something, Say Something” Program, and one’s imagination could begin to wander.

Then there is the attention given to drone tech by the corporate media. A recent CNN article lauds the ease of use of modern day surveillance drones as being “easier than a computer game,” and gives flying lessons on how to pilot the Datron Scout.

I may not be much use when it comes to shoot-em-ups, but even I can cope with tapping a green button, which is all it takes to make this particular UAV fly.

With a sound like a swarm of bees it is off, hovering a meter above ground and waiting for further instructions.

Tapping on a slider bar sends the drone 10 meters up, and a quick click on the on-screen map directs it off to explore the park ahead of us.

Lifting the stylus off the screen leaves the drone hovering in wait, where its onboard camera can watch events below, rather than crashing to the ground, as I had feared it might.

Its makers say the Scout is aimed at both military and public safety markets — police and firefighters have tested it for surveillance operations.

The product report ends with lighthearted banter about how birds have reacted to seeing another flying creature in their environment. At the risk of being overly serious, this tone is particularly disturbing in light of the fact that drones are bombing foreign countries into oblivion as we speak. Dennis Kucinich summed up the gravity perfectly in a statement issued today titled Drones Direct Hit Upon Rule of Law:

Everything America was once said to stand for: the rule of law, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is in danger of becoming collateral damage as our fearful leaders continue to kill suspects and innocent alike, mindlessly unaware that the hellfire we are sowing will surely be reaped by Americans in the future. The proliferation of drone technology and its inevitable extension to civilian law enforcement is a leap into the arms of Big Brother.

While CNN alludes to these military strikes, it quickly abandons that solemnity in eagerness to grab the remote control.

The involvement of CNN to issue a product report, so clearly intended to be upbeat and fun, could be an indication that what was previously a covert attempt to introduce drone surveillance over the United States is now thought to be acceptable enough to the police state conditioned American public.

With the rise of nanotechnology and the government’s stated goal to merge its uses into surveillance functions, it is clear that drone tech is only going to evolve as massive funding continues.

Meanwhile, Datron and CNN direct their readers to a recent concern of theirs:

Back in Paris, we manage to upset a magpie, which doesn’t take too kindly to our intrusion into its territory,

Right. Well neither do the thousands of civilians abroad who are on the receiving end of the weaponization of this technology. And neither should Americans who value their Constitution.