Covid Drones? Our New England Neighbors Say NO.

After only a few short days, and public uproar, the Westport Police Department in Connecticut has shut down the pandemic drone pilot program. The drones could reportedly measure someone’s vital signs from up to 190 feet in the sky. Dragonfly, the manufacturer of the technology, boasts that their drone equipment has the ability to measure fever, temperature, respiratory rates, and also human actions, such as coughing and sneezing.

When the program launched, the department planned to continue operating it for as long as six months, Westport Police Lt. Anthony Prezioso told Patch. “It is anticipated that this will continue to be in effect through the summer months of July and August as we anticipate the need to continue to work to reinforce social distancing measures in order to limit and control the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

Residents had different ideas. Members of the public pushed back against this surveillance, citing issues of privacy and civil liberties. In the department’s post on Facebook, there are also many comments referencing Big Brother, and Orwell’s 1984.

The response of the people was directly responsible for the department’s 180 on their plans. On April 23rd, the Westport Police Department announced via Facebook that they have “…chosen not to participate in the Draganfly drone ‘Flatten the Curve Pilot Program.’”

The maker of the drone technology issued assurances that all collected data was anonymized and did not employ facial recognition. This issue is a red herring in this discussion, as the real issue at heart is whether or not Americans want drones flying overhead barking orders and monitoring their vital signs from the sky. In this instance, the answer from Westport residents was a resounding, NO!

There has been a massive expansion of drone use across the country for a wide variety of applications such as site planning and mapping accident scenes. But seeing stories like this should serve as a reminder that if residents want to protect privacy and civil liberties, that they need to be vigilant and keep a close eye out for mission creep and any potential collateral damage caused by attempted intrusions like this.

The use of these drones won’t be an isolated event. In a statement release by Draganfly at the launch of the program, they referenced a broader vision: “We are honored to be the first law enforcement deployments in the country of this technology that will shape the future of public safety drone integration in the U.S.”

Stay alert, Salem. It doesn’t take a very wild imagination to think that these could enter into the conversation here at some point in the future.