That's an important distinction IMO because we've already got police helicopters and such in many cities and they're clearly useful when you quickly need to get an aerial view of an accident or someone running after committing a crime. There is still potential from abuse but whether the craft is manned or not would likely not change that.
At the same time, I guess on a personal, gut reaction level, it seems a bit more threatening or overreaching to think about any aircraft, manned or not, constantly flying around just recording everything for reference under the argument that it could help identify other crimes or locate individuals.
It may be illogical to be OK with a police chopper but not other surveillance craft but I think the potential for abuse and overreach skyrockets when you have the ability to find and track individuals at any time or create a record of their actions and travels for later analysis. I guess my emotional reaction stems from law enforcement responding to reports of crime versus just recording everything in case there's a crime. In the latter case, it wouldn't be hard to find something to nail someone on if you had a long enough record of their lives and activities and that's what unsettles me.
At the same time, I guess on a personal, gut reaction level, it seems a bit more threatening or overreaching to think about any aircraft, manned or not, constantly flying around just recording everything for reference under the argument that it could help identify other crimes or locate individuals.
It may be illogical to be OK with a police chopper but not other surveillance craft but I think the potential for abuse and overreach skyrockets when you have the ability to find and track individuals at any time or create a record of their actions and travels for later analysis. I guess my emotional reaction stems from law enforcement responding to reports of crime versus just recording everything in case there's a crime. In the latter case, it wouldn't be hard to find something to nail someone on if you had a long enough record of their lives and activities and that's what unsettles me.