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Drone pilot makes US rescind no-fly zones around unmarked, moving ICE vehicles

arstechnica.com

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Re: Drone pilot makes US rescind no-fly zones around unmarked, moving ICE vehicles

#23

Post by duxup »

delichon wrote: post #3

Unmarked no-fly zones at unannounced times and locations are a remarkable innovation. Hopefully they will tell you when and where you shouldn't have been when they charge you for it, but that may be classified.

Heck if they do tell you, ICE swaps plates and tries to hide in various ways.

The evidence could be just some regular looking vehicle you can't find anything about and it's just "trust me bro those were feds" and you're out of luck.

Re: Drone pilot makes US rescind no-fly zones around unmarked, moving ICE vehicles

#26

Post by avazhi »

gbin wrote: post #22
avazhi wrote: post #18

[flagged]

What are you talking about. Read part 107. Flying a drone is almost as hard as flying legally a private plane. Fines are huge. They are enforced.

> Flying a drone is almost as hard as flying legally a private plane

What universe are you in?

The FAA can’t even find and identify most of the dickheads flying drones around restricted airspace. You think they give a shit about drones in rural areas around smaller airports? Drones are cheap and easily accessible, orders of magnitude easier to get than an airplane in terms of actual acquisition and the license (spoiler: most drone users aren’t licensed). Compare both of those things with the cost of getting a PPL, to say nothing of how expensive even a small plane is. It isn’t just the US, either - I’ve flown small planes in both America and Australia, and drones are something that both the FAA and CASA clearly aren’t equipped to deal with. Regulations and laws don’t matter if you can’t enforce them because you can’t identify the perpetrator.

Re: Drone pilot makes US rescind no-fly zones around unmarked, moving ICE vehicles

#27

Post by geoduck14 »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #19
delichon wrote: post #3

Unmarked no-fly zones at unannounced times and locations are a remarkable innovation. Hopefully they will tell you when and where you shouldn't have been when they charge you for it, but that may be classified.

Ambiguous laws (which in this case are by definition impossible to comply with) which are capriciously enforced are a hallmark of authoritarian and fascist regimes. Sadly ironic, the US government used to highlight this fact: "Authoritarian regimes’ unclear laws make anyone a suspect" - https://ge.usembassy.gov/authoritarian-regimes-unclear-laws-...

Of note, the article seems to mention 3 things: 1) Vague laws 2) Arbitrary Enforcement 3) Lack of due process

All three seem to be important facts for an Authoritarian Regieme

I point this out, because I believe the US has long had vague laws, and our Due Process helps kick out arbitrary enforcement. I also believe that our Checks and Balance system (part of Due Process) is currently broken

Re: Drone pilot makes US rescind no-fly zones around unmarked, moving ICE vehicles

#28

Post by solidsnack9000 »

0cf8612b2e1e wrote: post #11
solidsnack9000 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really. The FAA revised the rule, but that was their choice, not the result of a ruling or even the reasoned application of a general principle. The very broad power of administrative rulemaking held by that agency is unchanged -- and the power of agencies generally, to make law without legislating, without accountability to the electorate, actually has nothing to do with this administration, does it? It actually…

I am not sure what is a better alternative. Laws can set the broad guidelines, but the people in those administrative roles have to make explicit decisions when gray areas inevitably arise. The legislature is free to codify the exact rules it wants when they disagree with the current setup.

They are free to do it but don't. That's exactly the problem. They also don't respond to overreach in rulemaking by revising the grants they have made, so it has been a cumulative process.

Re: Drone pilot makes US rescind no-fly zones around unmarked, moving ICE vehicles

#30

Post by pigpag »

geoduck14 wrote: post #27
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ambiguous laws (which in this case are by definition impossible to comply with) which are capriciously enforced are a hallmark of authoritarian and fascist regimes. Sadly ironic, the US government used to highlight this fact: "Authoritarian regimes’ unclear laws make anyone a suspect" - https://ge.usembassy.gov/authoritarian-regimes-unclear-laws-...

Of note, the article seems to mention 3 things: 1) Vague laws 2) Arbitrary Enforcement 3) Lack of due process All three seem to be important facts for an Authoritarian Regieme I point this out, because I believe the US has long had vague laws, and our Due Process helps kick out arbitrary enforcement. I also believe that our Checks and Balance system (part of Due Process) is currently broken

Given the astronomically high legal cost to individuals, the sheer presence of arbitrary enforcement can already cause a lot of fear and damage.
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