Skydio
Skydio X10 Surveillance Drone
The New York City Police Department is sending drones as a first response to the calls received on 9-1-1, an emergency number in the United States corresponding to the European “112”. On the way, the new “first reponders”Take the opportunity to watch what happens.
The first response to emergency calls in New York is now being given by drones rather than NYPD human agents, the city’s well -known police department.
Municipal authorities say the program, which was named “drones as first responders”(DFR), is the safer.
But, according to, the defenders of civil liberties and privacy argue that the Police have not been transparent in relation to operations that allow the forces of the order a Extended Surveillance Capacity which can easily be abused.
These flying “rescue drones”, with a range of up to 40 minutes, can go dozens of kilometers, filming everything on their way with tele-objective chambers that, according to data available on the site, manufacturer of the appliances, can identify faces and enrollment more than one kilometer away.
Launched in 2024 by mayor Eric Adamsthese drones initially would only respond to “selected priority public security calls“According to what last November formally announced the program.
However, as The Record says, the definition of “selected priority” given by the New York police It seems to be very vague; Among other omissions, it is not known how many drones will be used in emergency calls.
Prior to the official launch of the program, NYPD revealed that it planned to use drones in other situations, such as Watch parties in homes that received excessive noise complaints. At the time, there was no shortage of criticisms that they used taxpayers’ money to pay drones who watch over parties.
But the main questions raised by the new first responders They are related to privacy and civil rights issues.
In an interview with in 2023, Daniel Schwarzresponsible for the Union of New York Civil Freedoms, considered the use of drones by NYPD “dystopian ”and a form of“ racialized discrimination“.
According to the Defender of Constitutional Rights Sidney Thaxter, Drones are not allowed to operate within a property without warrant – but the exterior of a property does not count, and can easily be watched at a great distancewithout anyone realizing the presence of a drone in the air.
“They can put a drone in the air at a great enough distance so that we can’t hear it,” says Thaxter. “Can zoom and literally see whatever a person has in his hands. ”
Now that these drones – or the human agents who control them – have carte blanche Much more than simply wrap What is happening in the New York backyard, the city that never sleeps seems to be closer to a dystopia.
Second Albert Fox Cahnresponsible of the non -governmental organization that fights the use of technology in systems, it is as if NYPD is using the series “Black Mirror” as an “Instruction Manual”.
