[Infowarrior] - Eric Schmidt complains that drones violate his privacy

[Richard Forno]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/15/google_schmidt_civilian_drones_nimby/

Ban drones taking snaps of homes, rages Google boss... That's HIS job,
right?

Damn it, we're gonna need a new irony detector
By John Leyden 
15th April 2013 10:31 GMT <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/15/>

Google supremo Eric Schmidt has demanded tough rules on civilians flying
surveillance drones, branding the tech a threat to privacy.The executive
chairman of the internet advertising giant that snaps photos of millions
of front doors worldwide is upset that cheap camera-toting aircraft can be
used by anyone from terrorists to quarrelling neighbours: folks could use
the flying gear to snoop on people next-door or, say, buzz a reviled
neighbour's summer BBQ.

"How would you feel if your neighbour 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?" asked Schmidt,
whose company buys aerial photographs of the planet's surface and
publishes them online for free.

The Google boss made the comments during an interview with The Guardian
that was printed on Saturday.

Small remote-control drones, which can be fitted with cameras and other
surprises, are readily available for hobbyists, businesses and
governments. The kit can be deployed to track poachers, and cops have used
the flying machines to locate marijuana farms and find fugitives, the
Daily Mail adds.

The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how commercial
drones may be safely introduced into US airspace. The tech is already used
by military spooks to hunt and kill targets.

Schmidt wants tight controls if not an outright ban on the technology in
private hands. "It's one thing for governments, who have some legitimacy
in what they're doing, but have other people doing it ... it's not going
to happen," he said.

The Google chief exec, who advises the Obama administration on technology
issues, once famously said "if you have something that you don't want
anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place"
regarding the US government requesting access to citizens' search
histories. He also blacklisted CNet for a year after its journalists
published personal information about him hoovered up from, er, Google
search results.

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Just because i'm near the punchbowl doesn't mean I'm also drinking from it.