Taken on the surface, this story is hilarious; beneath the surface, it is terrifying.
An off-duty government intelligence worker in Washington, D.C., decided to take a government-issue 
drone for a spin. The worker admits to being drunk. He launched the drone in bad weather, and he lost it in the wind and rain. If that weren’t bad enough, he was playing with the drone in proximity to the White House. The drone hit a tree right outside the president’s home.
In an online article by NBC News (January 28, 2015) entitled: “Officials Say Drinking Played Role in White House Drone Crash,” we learn that:
“The government employee suspected of crashing a drone on the White House grounds Monday has told investigators he had been drinking before he lost control of the device, a source familiar with the incident confirmed to NBC News. Law enforcement officials say an employee of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency turned himself in after losing track of the drone while testing it in bad weather. He said he did not realize the unmanned aerial device landed at the White House until he saw news reports the next morning.”
I have this rather amused vision of the President and the Missus sitting down for a nice dinner, settling in for the shrimp appetizer and sherry, then dropping their silver-plate forks and diving under the table as the four-propeller flying vehicle was heading straight for the dining room.
I’m not making fun of the first family, mind you, but I can’t help but think that the sight of the quietly flying contraption heading straight for the building might have scared the briefs off of anyone.
Here is where the story twists
The story is not funny and it opens up a much, much wider dialog about how we handle technology, who controls the technology and what we should do about it.
About drones in general: we tend to think of them as toys, sort of like the kid next door flying his remote helicopter around the yard. They are not toys. For the most part they are used for photography, spying and military purposes.
We know that since the drone has come on the scene for civilian use, airline pilots have reported many near misses with commercial aircraft. There was talk about companies such as Amazon using them for delivery purposes (I shudder to think). Speaking of Amazon, you can buy drones on the site as we speak. Most are small, that is true, but I don’t for one second believe the larger types could not carry a payload.
Then there is the gray area; such as in this case, where an employee of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, whatever that is, might have access – and then “lose” a larger and more sophisticated drone.
Then our minds must race to an obvious question: if a small drone was launched near the White House and obviously went undetected, could a larger, military-type drone also be launched? I am afraid of my own answer.
It leads me to the first of three observations:
How do we handle technology?
In the case of drones, especially on a domestic level, I believe we have not handled it very well. How did a government worker get access to a drone within sight of the White House and by what standard did he believe it was permissible to launch it – and to do so while under the influence? In a broader sense, why must commercial and even private aircraft run a gauntlet of drones near and around airports? What about the smallest drones with the capability of transmitting images? What ethical guidelines are in place for citizens spying on citizens?
Who controls the technology?
Clearly, I understand the issues of access to technology. We are an open society. However, at what point does a drone stop being a toy, and becomes a potential weapon? Drones are widely in use now in industry, in publishing, in government and in educational venues. What licensing is in place, what ethical considerations have been established to prevent the larger drones in civilian use from being converted to other purposes?
If a drunk government employee can fly a drone into the White House, what about an irate geologist working for an oil company who has access to larger models? We have recently read of drones being used to transport drugs across the U.S. – Mexico border. A drone capable of such a payload could be converted to something even more sinister.
What we should do about it
Drones are not the issue, nor is it technology. It is a question of the ethical use of such technology that has not been fully explored.
We all remember recent outrage in regard to TSA X-rays at airports, or the use of software to capture information or fake cell phone towers grabbing our conversations for “security reasons.” However, drones take the argument to another level altogether.
Do we need to take more of an ethical look at technology and how it is put into use? I am hoping, minimally, that this drone episode will appeal to many both within and outside of government to open up ethical discussions.
YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!