German Railways Plans to Use Small Flying Drones to Report Graffiti Vandals
Posted on May 30, 2013
Small flying drones have been getting cheaper over the past several years. The quality of the drones has also been improving and the small flying robots are increasingly being used for security. BBC News reports that Germany's national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, plans to start using drones equipped with infra-red sensors to record graffiti vandals and report them for their crimes.
Deutsche Bahn sees the drones as a way to deter people from spray-painting its trains. Deutsche Bahn plans to only use the drones within the confines of its own property at its rail depots, which is currently legal under German law. Would-be graffiti artists may need to find a way to deactivate the drones if they want to decorate trains without being seen.
BBC News notes that Germany has strict anti-surveillance laws. Germans are also very sensitive to invasions of privacy. If the drones stray outside Deutsche Bahn property, then the company could find itself in trouble for violating the privacy of private citizens.
