Question

Hello, I need to do a research and I choose my research question: Do the commercialization and use of civilian drones respect our individual freedoms and privacy?

Can you help me with ideas of Research Methodology including:

1. Restatement of research tasks: hypothesis or research questions;

2. Study population and sampling: description of study areas (where? why?), populations and the procedures for the sample selection;

3. Data collection: description of the tools (i.e. the survey instrument) and methods used (i.e. a questionnaire) to collect information, and identification of variables; description of how the data will be collected and how long this will take

4. Data analysis: description of data processing and analyzing procedures

Answer 1

Q: Do the commercialization and use of civilian drones respect our individual freedoms and privacy?

February 2012 the U.S. Congress passed the FAA Modernization & Reform Act, which created a four-year road map for the introduction of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) — better known as “drones” — into U.S. airspace. While thousands of hobbyists now fly tiny helicopters and planes, restrictions are considerable and commercial use is severely limited. Beyond warfare, drones have a wide range of applications, from monitoring weather and inspecting bridges to patrolling borders and conducting search-and-rescue missions. Government agencies and others must currently obtain a “certificate of authorization” from the Federal Aircraft Administration (FAA) before using pilotless aircraft.

All this stands to change in September 2015 as the FAA gradually opens U.S. airspace to private companies and commercial opportunities. While the FAA has had some difficultydeveloping the necessary rules, industry estimates have suggested that UAS, both military and civilian, will generate $90 billion in business worldwide within 10 years; other analyses predict $91 billion in spending in the U.S. alone over the coming decade. The FAA notes the following with regard to the potential scope of the industry:

There are some 100 U.S. companies, academic institutions and government organizations developing over 300 UAS designs…. UAS’s also vary widely in size, shape, and capabilities. Some unmanned aircraft weigh 1,900 pounds and can remain aloft for 30 hours or more, because there is no need for them to land to change pilots. Some are 6 inches long…. Currently, the majority of UAS systems are operated by the military and have little impact on the NAS. However as the technology matures, increasing numbers of units will be operated by civil and commercial users, and could have greater impacts on the NAS. However the volume of units is relatively small – approximately 15,000 units by 2020 and 30,000 units by 2030.

Of course, the widespread adoption of commercial drones also risks opening up a wide range of dilemmas, including governance, public safety, individual privacy, ethics and even energy use. A 2015 Presidential Memorandum notes these concerns in the context of all government activity:

The Federal Government currently operates UAS in the United States for several purposes, including to manage Federal lands, monitor wildfires, conduct scientific research, monitor our borders, support law enforcement, and effectively train our military. As with information collected by the Federal Government using any technology, where UAS is the platform for collection, information must be collected, used, retained, and disseminated consistent with the Constitution, Federal law, and other applicable regulations and policies.

A 2015 report from the Congressional Research Service report highlights the key legal precedents and what role the federal government might play in setting regulations for the UAS industry. A 2013 paper from the Brookings Institution emphasizes the ability of UAS vehicles’ to “loiter” for long periods of time, and thus draw in significantly more information, potentially posing “a more serious threat to privacy than do manned flights.” As the FAA continues to develop its rules, some have argued that “drone federalism” is the best answer, even as some states and cities have begun banning the use of drones for surveillance.

These capabilities also carry great potential for newsgathering purposes, and journalists are just beginning to discern both the power and the pitfalls with respect to drones. A 2013 report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford notes the substantial decisions that will confront outlets: “News organisations will need to make decisions whether it is feasible and desirable to employ them, how they might be effectively used, the ethics of their use in news reporting, and how their use might affect journalistic credibility amongst the public.”

The Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications is continuing to explore this field and its opportunities. The Lab’s leader, Matt Waite, noted in a February 2015 post on new proposed FAA regulations that “frankly, it’s surprisingly flexible and permissive given what the agency has required of users up to now. Put simply, drones for journalism becomes very possible and very legal under these rules. Only a few things wouldn’t be allowed, and they’re minor in the grand scheme of things.”