Criminal Uses of Drones & AI

George Rebane

It didn’t take long for criminals and terrorists to start using affordable, commercially available drones for surveillance and even weaponized munitions delivery platforms on the battlefield.  Terrorists routinely launch their own eyes in the sky when being attacked by the militaries of countries seeking to destroy them.  In the US drones have already been used by prepared criminals to actively harass the FBI during a hostage situation.  And there’s more to come.

With affordable face recognition AI, authorities are anxious about the launch of assassination drones in built-up areas to search out and then kill a designated human target either with a firearm or explosive.  Drug smugglers are using ever more sophisticated drone platforms to monitor and catalog border security procedures and process so as to pick the proper times and places to bring in the drug payloads.  Smaller deliveries of high value narcotics are already handled by drones from Mexico.

Our military and law enforcement are playing catch up with counter-systems and delays caused first by the usual calcified bureaucratic assessments of ‘oh, they’ll never be able to do that’ to R&D and procurement red tape that doesn’t allow the good guys to invent and test as fast as can the terrorists and criminals.  Of course, all that government can field against the bad guys is the same stuff that they can field against law abiding citizens to keep the rest of us on our mandated straight and ever-narrowing paths.  As someone once said, ‘There is no free lunch.’  And that goes double for advanced technology.  Stand by for ram.  (more here and here)

 

Comments

[scenes]

It's going to be an interesting ecosystem, and there's no reason to think that drones need to be able to fly. It seems to me that the interesting problem, engineering-wise, is going to be in countermeasures.

Given the slow nature of the government procurement process, I'd hate to think how far behind the times the Border Patrol is, at least in terms of where they ought to be. Border security strikes me as low hanging fruit for autonomous vehicles + imaging software. Heck, it would probably be enough to just send up a bunch of drones, stream the video, and crowdsource the analysis. You could make a sort of contest out of it (Spot The Aliens!) by using regular schlubs as image analysists (IMINT?). That in turn could be used as training data.

Huh. A person with a little money could do that right now, although I don't know the rules on civilian drones right on the border.

[M]

,,,welcome to drone wars,,,

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2012/08/23/us-testing-surveillance-balloons-on-mexico-border.html

,,,least they could do is make them look like whales or pigs,,,

[George Rebane]

scenes 325pm - That is an interesting idea. I wouldn't use civilian drones, but the BP putting up cheap commercial drones that feed video into an online distribution center would work. And as you suggest, people could download an app that would let them view the various drone videos and put a cursor on the wetback/terrorist/drug mule, and click to submit. The head-end software could appropriately handle repetitive reports and false alarms. But those simple solutions are so hard to push through bureaucracies staffed by the incapable and the incompetents (and those who don't want future Democrat voters stopped at the border).

[Russ]

Satellite Crowdsource Project

Planet has a flock of 190 Doves observing the planet 24/7 with public access to the images. I wonder if these Planet satellite photos could be used in a crowdsources observation project. Would it be possible to see day to day movement of vehicles or groups of people moving across the desert? Here is a demonstration of the compare and time lap function. Compare has a day to day capability. Thoughts?

https://www.planet.com/pulse/compare-and-timelapse-planet-explorer/

[Todd Juvinall]

Hey Russ I saw a little side article about the lack of sea ice up north. s that a bad thing? LOL!

[scenes]

[email protected]:05AM

I'd be surprised if the resolution was high enough, but I really like the idea of flickering (is that a word?) still images rather than a live feed. If it was good enough for astronomers, it's good enough to spot humans.

[Russ]

Give every Boarder Agent his own photo drone:

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180504/09102139776/daily-deal-airselfie2-drone.shtml

[Russ]

[email protected]:24 AM

I think it is called Blink Detection. It was used by intelligence analysis when dealing with low-resolution photos. Flipping back and forth would show up as a blink in the photo, indicating the need to take a closer look.

[scenes]

[email protected]:17PM

Blink comparator?

I like the notion not just because humans are better able to detect change, but to keep the bandwidth down. It would also (probably) be good enough in B&W.

I wonder if it would be better to look at terrain from the day before (perhaps with a tiny bit of correction due to time of day and to avoid differences in shadow) or from several minutes before.

My guess is that drones are necessary rather than satellites, plus (obviously) still images would have to be corrected for perspective.

The crowdsourcing is the main strength here, plus some clever way to avoid bogus entries. A voting system would still succumb to malicious users.

[jon smith]

It is more than simply bureaucratic foot dragging that keeps us lagging in technology. Watching the Zuckerberg questioning by the House was a rare view into just how technologically ignorant most of those old farts are. Ignorance of science and technology are traits promoted by the right. George Bush gloated over the fact that he couldn't "do" email and didn't see much use for the internet. DeVos wants Bible stories to trump modern theories of evolution. Pence truly believes the planet is 6,000 years old. Who needs more drones when the House is filled with them?

[Todd Juvinall]

It is the liberals and democrats that are the goons not the Republicans. If it were not for the R's there would be no money or freedom to invent. We stay out of the way. But Zuckerberg and his minions and pals in San Jose are all democrats and look how they stole and sold all their clients information. Good little fascists. The hearings in DC were fun and many peple got to hear from Z how easy it is to lose your freedom to people of his stripe.

[scenes]

"Ignorance of science and technology are traits promoted by the right. "

I doubt there's a lick of difference in technology knowledge between the parties of Congress. What you are seeing is age combined with a lack of intellectual curiosity, this last the result of spending all your time on fund raising and the few minutes left being told you are special.

In the case of Maxine Waters, who always seems to find her way to a TV camera, I'd say that her primary qualification is the ability to fog a mirror.

[scenes]

In terms of science knowledge and Congress, behold one of the great minds of our age:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cesSRfXqS1Q

Just to steer this back to drones, and away from Jon's perpetual partisanship, perhaps we could steady the island with a mass of small flying devices.

[Bill Tozer]

Scenes. Nice YouTube video, a tit for that.

jon is half right. It is both dangerous and scary how little old farts in Congress and on various committees know about how tech companies work.

Oh, my sites were filled with memos of old congressmen trying to figure out what Zuckerberg and Co actually do. They haven’t a clue. Pathetic questions asked and more importantly, not asked. No matter how they tried, they still could not each Hillary how to use a desktop. A computer, with tower and wiping clothe.. She just couldn't get it. But that had nothing to do with what FB, Youtube, Google, Twitter does and how they do it.

The only reason they even had the spank Zuck hearings was not about the hair on fire of personal information. Nope, it was Zucky got snookered into let’s the R’s get a small slice of the pie. He better not let that happen again, or else.

“Nothing about drones”, he says slinking away to do a time out.

[jon smith]

Todd 7:57-
"Zuckerberg and his minions and pals in San Jose are all democrats "

EXACTLY! Couldn't have said it better myself. All your name calling won't change the fact that Democrat heavy California is the 5th leading economy on earth. This "shithole" state is populated by progressives who have an eye to the possibilities compared to deep red garden states like Utah and Alabama that want to "make America great again" with slogans and billboards proclaiming "life is a proof of God's existence" or displaying the 10 commandments, of which Todd is proof positive, that these hypocrites only give lip service to following. Our drone technology is NOT being brewed in the intellectual hotbeds of Utah, 'bama, and South Carolina but in Livermore, Santa Barbara, and the Redwood Peninsula,

[Todd Juvinall]

Yes they are the new dascists jonnieBoy. Thanks for agreeing.

[jon smith]

Should have read Livermore, Pasadena and the Redwood Peninsula.

[Todd Juvinall]

One thing I always got a kick out of in my working days was this. Everyone thinks they can build a home from the ideas on up to turnkey. I saw some of the smartest people from the city come here and try and most later cried on my shoulder they should have hired me. They did not have a clue how to build a home. Anyway, I would suggest most politicians who don't come from a business background know squat about most things. But now we have a builder in the White House and he does. They status quo is under attack by Trump and all those nabobs are scared to death.

[Russ]

[email protected]:02 AM Might want to check some of your drone claims on the Internet, you do know how to use a browser to search, right?

PLEASANT GROVE – A Utah company’s newest invention could be a game changer in the drone industry.

“It’s the smallest, most compact radar system in the world for beyond visual line of sight operations,” Fortem Technologies CEO Timothy Bean said.

Here’s why it’s important: Using drones to deliver packages to homes isn’t realistic because if thousands of drones are airborne at the same time, there’s concern over them crashing into one another or into a plane or helicopter.

However, Fortem Tech’s new radar, the TrueView radar, changes that.

“It provides the eyes in the sky,” Bean said. He adds it can “see day or night, and through clouds.”

TrueView can mount directly on a drone, plane or helicopter and can detect incoming objects as small as a soda can flying towards it from miles away.

“It can operate on its own very safely,” Bean added.

Previously, the Federal Aviation Administration mandated that someone flying a drone had to be able to visually see it, to make sure it was flying safely. But TrueVue adds that safety, thus eliminating the need for visual spotters. As a result, the idea of drones delivering mail to your doorstep is suddenly much more of a reality.

One example, there may be more but I am out of time.

[Walt]

Russ.. The Skeet shooting sport will start anew.
Plenty will be pissed, having those thing flying overhead at all hours.

[jon smith]

Russ-
Spotting Zebras among the wild horses of the West again. How many of top 100 drone tech companies are from Utah compared with California ??? Here's the list:

https://uavcoach.com/drone-companies/#guide-1

[jon smith]

Todd 9:12
"I would suggest most politicians who don't come from a business background know squat about most things"

I can't believe anyone could be so shallow. I bet politicians with business backgrounds don't know shit about building construction, Constitutional law, medicine, science, technology . . . That is why smart leaders surround themselves with experts in the various fields rather than hire family and friends to help steer their course.

Aren't you supposed to be in church right now buying your weekly forgiveness?

[Walt]

Here we go.. Wisdom from GEN WTF?... How bout all those politicians
you speak so highly of , making anti gun laws, who know zip, zero, nada, about weapons? " Ban the manufacture of high capacity magazines... They will all be used up eventually,(out of bullets) and will be of no use." Those were the words of an elected idiot.
Your LIB genius didn't even know that they can be reloaded.

Stick to your kiddy pool of politics. Your getting in over your head.

[Gregory]

"Our drone technology is NOT being brewed in the intellectual hotbeds of Utah, 'bama, and South Carolina but in Livermore, Santa Barbara, and the Redwood Peninsula"

Mike 902am, it isn't "your" drone technology and there are hotbeds of intellectual activity in Utah, South Carolina (RTP) and Alabama (around Huntsville). If you want it to be yours, buy into a company that's developing it, or do it yourself and I recall your IT degree is from a second rate business school that has dropped the program so developing it yourself is probably not an option.

I find it incredible that progs have convinced themselves that, given they've beaten up libertarians/centrists/conservatives into silence, that means they've won and are responsible for all that is good in California. It's theirs. So, Mike, have you posted your "Gun-Free Zone Home" sign outside your house yet, or are you relying on the odds that crooks won't know you're the defenseless ones?

[scenes]

Gregory sez: "Mike 902am, it isn't "your" drone technology and there are hotbeds of intellectual activity in..."

lol. Thanks for that. It always has bugged the shit out of me to see people refer to engineering projects, military efforts, etc. as 'our'. It's unseemly.

I'd say that most of the numbers posted around the amazingness of California are based on population. A lot of people will produce a lot of wealth, schools, pollution, and the like.

The moment that California actually physically produces the lion's share of technology products, aside from a few businesses with long term inertia like military aerospace, I'll buy into the concept of California as a tech powerhouse. The world is filled with companies, some in surprising places, and the folks in Huntsville are just as smart as those in Berkeley.

[scenes]

[email protected]:51AM

You have to admit that there's irony in how people who are aggressively non-nationalistic, open-borders oriented, and the like can be such cheerleaders for a state.

Honestly, it's probably the best way to view the politics of the US Civil War. People fought for 'Virginia' and not for slavery or state rights generally. In 2018, it's all about the sanctity and importance of California, New York, Oregon, New Jersey vs. the evil flyover states. The good lil' Hobbits vs. Mordor.

To be realistic, to get people to fight and die for the idea of 'California' it probably needs a better flag.

[jon smith]

Gregory -
Your "hotbeds of intellectual activity" are more like minor spot fires ignited by sparks billowing from the conflagration of technological advances developed and continuing to develop on the West Coast.

I'm pretty hard pressed to understand how progressives are NOT responsible for California's gains. How many Christian conservatives have had the creativity, vision, and chutzpah to initiate the VAST majority of our State's wealth. Entertainment, raw technologies, medicine, bio tech, solar development, space exploration, ag science . . . for some strange reason it is the blue state liberals who culture the attitude, and nourish the development, of things above and beyond swinging a hammer, digging a ditch, assembling parts, or manning telephone banks.

[scenes]

Jon Smith: "How many Christian conservatives have had the creativity, vision, and chutzpah to initiate the VAST majority of our State's "

Jeez, always with the 'our'. It's as if the state depend on the deeds of JonSmith to get things done.

Here's an experiment for ya. Replace 'Christian' in all of your missives with 'Jew' and see how nice it all sounds. Hopefully that armband fits good and snug.

[jon smith]

Scenes-
"The moment that California actually physically produces the lion's share of technology products, aside from a few businesses with long term inertia like military aerospace, I'll buy into the concept of California as a tech powerhouse."

Like produce widgets? Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Mexico produce widgets, they are not tech powerhouses. We produce the innovation and technology that allow third world countries to produce our widgets. We are the world's largest exporter of cotton, yet we physically produce virtually no textiles. Does that mean California is not a cotton powerhouse?

[scenes]

Obergruppenfuhrer Jon [email protected]:47PM

We produce the innovation and technology that allow third world countries to produce our widgets.

lol. Seriously dude, enough with the 'we'.

Honestly, that's such a vast underestimate of the work going on in Asia, Europe, and other US states that it's almost embarrassing. It's kind of a useless argument at this point.

[Walt]

Christ!!! The ONLY thing Ca. has been "producing" is lines of code.
The "product" seems to be private info gathered from all the "join for free" crap on the net.
We are no longer the bread basket of the nation. We only grow a token of what we used to. It's cheaper to get chow from elsewhere.
What else, other that Proggys,, does Ca. export?(our Tech, to be built over seas,for pennies a day in labor, nonexistent ECO regs, then shipped back to be sold.)

[jon smith]

Scenes-
"Replace 'Christian' in all of your missives with 'Jew'"
You're not serious are you? Jews (mostly liberals) have been an intrinsic and dynamic force in tech.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook
Paul Allen, Microsoft
Sergey Brin and Larry Page, co founders of Google/Alphabet
Safra A. Catz, co ceo Oracle
Bram Cohen Bitcurrent
Sandy Lerner, co founder Cisco
Sam Altman, Steve Balmer, Rob Glaser, Sheryl Sandberg, on and on and on. Oy vey!

[Ricky McVeigh]

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--EEe-uczEX8/WSRg90dNAlI/AAAAAAACr2o/YuAYeiTMviUWkUpUGZ3LZodWWFUZo7C2gCLcB/s1600/franz-tschakert.jpg

[scenes]

https://pjmedia.com/faith/silicon-valley-tv-show-admits-tech-companies-anti-christian-bias/

[jon smith]

scenes-
Like lies, the best comedy includes a bit of truth.

[George Rebane]

jons 751am - do you have anything to back up those outlandish claims that come from somewhere beyond DailyKos or HuffPo? All this given that it has been the Left, and only the Left, that has been educating our kids into intellectual oblivion.

[Paul Emery]

George

The dumbing down of America sure is evident when you look at the current selection of President. Donald Trump, the peoples choice for the highest office in the land.

[jon smith]

GR 8:17
Oh yes, educating our children. Pretty certain I haven't been in discussions about educating our children. How is your Jeep?

[Don Bessee]

What a creepy POS @ 950.

[Gregory]

"I'm pretty hard pressed to understand how progressives are NOT responsible for California's gains. How many Christian conservatives have had the creativity, vision, and chutzpah to initiate the VAST majority of our State's wealth. Entertainment, raw technologies, medicine, bio tech, solar development, space exploration, ag science . . . for some strange reason it is the blue state liberals who culture the attitude, and nourish the development, of things above and beyond swinging a hammer, digging a ditch, assembling parts, or manning telephone banks."

Golly "jon smith" (aka Michael P. Anderson of Nevada City), the world is not made up of just "progressives" and Christian conservatives. I knew a lot of people who weren't "progressives" at Cisco Systems, US Robotics and 3Com, and I did know a couple of unreconstructed "progressives" that drove a couple of startups into the ground.

John Chambers at Cisco was a longtime Republican and co-chair on John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008 and he didn't leave Cisco until 2015 when he retired rich beyond the Dreams of Avarice. Another Silicon Valley giant who was GOP was TJ Rogers. Under Chambers, internally, Cisco was apolitical.

[jon smith]

Gregory-
Tell that to Todd and his 7:57. I know plenty of strong Republicans in tech just as I know many strong Republicans who are college professors. They are simply in the minority. Todd categorically says they are "all liberals."

[Todd Juvinall]

90% plus of the professors are liberals/democrats. Looks like they own it. Please name and list all those string R's in tech. Waiting.

[Bill Tozer]

Well, instead of yapping about criminal use of drones (a compelling topic), guess the thread has moved to criminal abuse of young minds. From Walter Williams:

“Langbert examines the political affiliation of Ph.D.-holding faculty members at 51 of the 66 top-ranked liberal arts colleges according to U.S. News & World Report. He finds that 39 percent of the colleges in his sample are Republican-free — with zero registered Republicans on their faculties. As for Republicans within academic departments, 78 percent of those departments have no Republican members or so few as to make no difference.”

https://www.creators.com/read/walter-williams/05/18/colleges-anti-diversity-and-pro-exclusion

[Gregory]

Golly, "Jon", what Todd wrote was "But Zuckerberg and his minions and pals in San Jose are all democrats and look how they stole and sold all their clients information."

Hyperbolic, but "Zuckerberg and his minions and pals" does not include everyone in tech, which would collapse if non-progressives disappeared.

Californicated leftists have some storm clouds on the horizon, with Janus looming at SCOTUS next month, and the solar minimum taking away their main IFF over time... be nice to people on the way up because you will be seeing them again on the way down.

[jon smith]

Gregory, looks as if Todd is asking you to repeat yourself.

Todd: 9:14 "90% plus of the professors are liberals/democrats. Looks like they own it. Please name and list all those string R's in tech. Waiting."

[Todd Juvinall]

Strong

[Todd Juvinall]

Come on jonnieBoy, list those tech moguls. If it is as inaccurate as your list of rich Jews then you really have a problem in your noggin.

[Gregory]

I'm not responding to Todd, Mike. I'm challenging you.

[jon smith]

Todd- Greg claims to have worked in tech and he doesn't sound like a proggy or even middle of the roader. He apparently had a bushel of like minded right wing cronies. From the horse's mouth:

I knew a lot of people who weren't "progressives" at Cisco Systems, US Robotics and 3Com, and I did know a couple of unreconstructed "progressives" that drove a couple of startups into the ground.

John Chambers at Cisco was a longtime Republican and co-chair on John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008 and he didn't leave Cisco until 2015 when he retired rich beyond the Dreams of Avarice. Another Silicon Valley giant who was GOP was TJ Rogers. Under Chambers, internally, Cisco was apolitical.

[Gregory]

"jon smith" aka Michael P. Anderson 1048am

I didn't say I "had a bushel of like minded right wing cronies" at Cisco. I'm not "right wing" and not all who are left of center are "progressives".

Stop making stuff up, Mike.

[Gregory]

toes 926am

Yes, the GOP is a kiss of death if you are seeking employment or tenure in academia. That doesn't mean there aren't GOP sympathizers hiding in the closet.

The paper Williams uses for that column is here:
https://www.nas.org/articles/homogenous_political_affiliations_of_elite_liberal

[Todd Juvinall]

Wow JonnieSmith came up with one tech guy. An amazing number of them. One! Most id not 90% are a lefty. My son-in-law works in San Jose in the tech industry. I know the inside scoop on these people. All libs.

Gregory has written many times here is not a Republican. And he argues with all of us, left and right. So jonnieSmith, you just make your crapola up from whole cloth.