The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has authorised the first domestic drones that can be used commercially for aerial surveillance.
Unmanned aerial drones have previously been the exclusive reserve of the military, particularly the US military. Infamously used used to target militants -- and whoever they happen to be with, civilian or otherwise -- unmanned drones have been highly controversial. Human Rights Watch even launched a Campaign to Ban Killer Robots.
Domestic use among police authorities and the FBI in the US has steadily crept up. In June of this year, the FBI's director Robert Mueller admitted that the FBI uses drones for surveillance during investigations, adding that it was in "nascent stages" and that the use was limited. In the UK, police minister Damian Green has backed the domestic use of drones by the government, saying they should be used " like any other piece of police kit".
However, the use of surveillance drones for commercial purposes has been restricted. The FAA's decision on 26 July changes that in the US and lays the groundwork for the widespread use of surveillance drones this year.
Insitu's Scan Eagle X200 and AeroVironment's Puma drones were granted licenses for commercial operation, with the Scan Eagle expected to be used off the coast of Alaska by an unnamed "major energy company" and the Puma to be used by emergency response crews, also off the coast of Alaska.
In September 2012, President Obama signed a bill forcing the FAA to speed up the introduction of aerial drones into domestic commercial life. Uses could include anything from crop dusting to traffic monitoring to relaying telecommunication signals.
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