Amazon is considering launching neighborhood patrol drones, sparking fears that the tech giant will use the devices intended to keep communities safer for spying on residents and gathering their personal data.
The idea is for the drones to monitor areas for anything wrong, like fires and broken windows, The Daily Mail reported. Homeowners could subscribe to the service, allowing for the delivery aircraft to survey their neighborhood. If something suspicious is spotted, the devices may be able to call the police.
At issue with the public is that the Amazon's new patrol drones will collect photos and record videos, which many feel is an invasion of privacy. However, Amazon’s patent assures that drone footage will be limited to a predetermined boundary set up by the homeowners and will obscure or remove imagery outside of the area.
In other words, images of the neighbors will be cropped. Furthermore, other residents would need to give permission for the patrol drones to survey their part of the neighborhood.
Once everyone is in agreement, Amazon will fly its patrol drones overhead, gathering surveillance data that will then be analyzed by a person or by a computer at a hub. If anything appears to be awry, an alert will be sent off to a user or service provider. The patent highlights certain incidents that could warrant an alert, which includes garage doors left open, broken windows, detection of graffiti, and fire.
The decision to launch the project has not been made yet.
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