Weaponizing Drones, from War To Your Insurance Policy
It’s not enough that your phone and computer are constantly spying on you, now your home is being spied on by drones too.
It’s not enough that your phone and computer are constantly spying on you, now your home is being spied on by drones too.
Cindy Picos is a California homeowner. Her insurance provider decided to use a drone to snap pics of her roof without notifying her first. The result? They unceremoniously dumped her insurance policy based on the findings of the drone.
Initially, Cindy thought there must be some mistake. She even went the extra mile to get an independent inspection, which gave her roof a clean bill of health with a decade of life left. Did that sway the insurance company? Nope. They stubbornly clung to their mystery photos taken by the drone, which they also conveniently refused to share with Cindy.
This is just one example of a trend that has homeowners worried. Insurance companies are leveraging drones, manned planes and high altitude baloons enmasse to monitor the entire country and determine if your home is worth being insured. They use these photos and videos to determine if they need to cancel your policy.
Russia’s engagement in Ukraine has been the first deployment of these ‘FPV’ (First-Person-View) drones on the battlefield where they are equipped with explosive charges and assault armored vehicles and tanks with extreme effectiveness.
These drones can be operated from miles away on a handheld unit, a common drone setup may cost around $1,000.00, they are being used to take out tanks that cost upwards of $1M.
The dystopian vision of having an army of faceless, automonous drones or robots that can be called upon for military application has existed probably as long as capitalism itself.
In Wired for War, P.W. Singer points out that the rapid militarization of robotic drone technology is a natural extension of private mercenary companies like Blackwater leasing out soldiers for hire.
As he somewhat cynically puts it:
The earliest forms of human organization were clans that first united for hunting, but soon also for fighting with other clans over the best hunting grounds. The story of the dawn of civilization is a story of war, as these clans transformed into larger tribes and then to city-states and empires...what is written in human history is simply a history of warfare.
Drones being used to kill, spy and do the dirty work of humans who don’t want blood on their hands is certainly nothing new—we’ve seen the videos from Wikileaks where helicopters opened fire on civilians. This disconnected aggression is evolving, especially in the war on Gaza. Israel used drones to lure Palestinians with recordings of crying children to get individuals to come out of their shelters to be shot by waiting snipers.
The horrors are more than clear, but the question still remains; will the military applications of AI outweigh the potential good it could create in discovering new science and technology that actually benefits humantity?
Know Your Rights
In the US “…drone operators must follow Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, which require them to obtain permission prior to flying over private property and maintain a safe distance from people and structures.”
States rights on drone operation also vary considerably. In California, for example, legal trespassing can happen by both land and air, and a drone would constitute a violation of your civil rights. In Michigan, there are less restrictions—you can fly drones over private property but taking video and pictures is technically illegal.
In case you are interested in the theory of how drone jamming technology works, below are some options for research purposes only.
Battelle’s DroneDefender is a device that will emit a strong enough electromagnetic field capable of disrupt ing most drone’s internal GPS systems. There are also directional energy weapons that can fry a drone out of flight, however these systems are manufactured by military technology company’s and are out of reach for civilians.
Drones hacking Drones. There have been proof of concepts developed for drone hacking such as SkyJack by SamyKamkar. It can be deployed on a drone which flies around and monitors drone and drone owners and can de-authenticate them, connecting as the owner. Methods like these have likely become obsolete as drones update their security.
Special nets designed for taking down drones are currently being used by the Tokyo Police Force.
Your best bet as a consumer is likely a 3 Band Portable Drone Jammer, which can still be pricey at upwards of $900. Considering that a sophisticated anti-drone jammer like the Skyfend Hunter Detection and Jamming in One Anti-drone Jammer can run you a clean $15,000—this may be a good entry level solution.
Disclaimer: We are not providing legal advice and this article is for educational purposes only. We have never purchased or used any of the above items ourselves. If you or someone you know is receiving unsolicted drone visitations, we do not recommend engaging unless it is a dire, life or death situation. We are not advocating for violence against drones in any way. Use this information at your own risk!
Further Reading
https://www.abc4.com/news/tech-social-media/yes-your-iphone-is-taking-invisible-pictures-of-you/
https://www.businessinsider.com/drones-home-insurance-cancellation-2024-4
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/six-ways-to-disable-a-drone/
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