A rising threat to privacy in New Jersey
By: Viena Desai
Over the past few weeks, over 100 drones have been spotted in New Jersey, raising the question: How far is too far regarding safety and freedom? The recent mysterious increase in drone sightings in New Jersey is part of a dangerous rise in surveillance methods that sacrifice public privacy to maintain security.
With increased drone surveillance measures implemented, there lies the potential for the infringement of citizens’ rights. “We’ve received over 100 reports in the past three weeks that mention drones across the US,” said Enigma Labs spokesperson Christine Kim. Drone sightings near essential infrastructure, such as military facilities, called into question the motivation for these increased drone operations and who is behind this surveillance. In response to the growing number of drone encounters, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily banned drone flights in 22 areas of New Jersey and 30 areas of New York. To the FAA, these reports show a troubling trend toward growing surveillance powers infringing on citizens’ rights. These flight restrictions, initiated at the request of federal security agencies, highlight the expanding authority of the government to control airspace in the interest of national security. However, while these actions may seem justified to protect citizens, they could potentially call into question the long-term impact on the individual freedoms of American citizens. The increasing prominence of drone detection technology by the federal government to monitor skies further blurs the line between public safety and privacy.
Concerns over drone sightings have prompted New Jersey leadership to take action. Calls from state and local lawmakers for stricter regulations on these aircrafts are understandable, considering fear and uncertainty surrounding these drone sightings. Yet, this demand for greater authority could worsen the potential invasion of privacy. Some officials, such as Senator Richard Blumenthal, have called for drones to be shot down from flight; the broader issue at stake becomes the normalization of increasing security measures. Officials have stated that drones do not present an immediate national security threat. For instance, Governor Phil Murphy said that the state of New Jersey found “little to no evidence” of malicious intent that posed a threat in their audits of the drone sightings.
In conclusion, the recent drone sightings in New Jersey reflect an upward trend in surveillance at the national level, which can in turn pose a threat to individual privacy. While the government’s actions are necessary to preserve safety, expanding more aggressive security measures could create a concerning sense of a lack of personal privacy in the future. As drones become integral to modern society, the balance between security and privacy will be increasingly difficult to maintain. This strain could ultimately lead to a future where personal privacy is allowed to be sacrificed in the interests of national security.
