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Google's Schmidt says civilian drones pose privacy threat

In an interview with the Guardian, Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt says drones could threaten civil liberties and should be regulated.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
Google's Eric Schmidt. James Martin
Google's executive chairman is no stranger to privacy concerns. But here he is speaking out against the use of drones by us regular Joes, saying they could infringe on our privacy and that we should regulate them.

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In a subscriber-only interview with the Guardian, quoted by the BBC, Schmidt posed the scenario: "You're having a dispute with your neighbor. How would you feel if your neighbor went over and bought a commercial observation drone that they can launch from their backyard? It just flies over your house all day. How would you feel about it?"

Drones are mostly used in warfare at the moment, but consumer models such as the Parrot AR.Drone could pose a threat to civil liberties, Schmidt reckons.

Read more of "Google's Eric Schmidt calls for civilian drones to be regulated" at Crave UK.