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Comment by joelrunyon | Hacker News Reader

> Also, it isn't like these devices are able to pilot themselves,

If Google can figure out how to make a self-driving car, I think the government can (or has already) figure out a way to make self-flying drones.

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Yes and the self driving car is operated within some sort of legal framework and for the time being has a driver. The law may likely include, at least for sometime, a provision that forces a human eye on the road before we allow anyone to jump in and go. Ultimately it comes down to operating within a set legal framework and having the appropriate licences and paperwork(warrants) in place. So while drones may be self flying there needs to be someone responsible and it must be done so with reason.

We're talking about today's drone use by the FBI. They most certainly don't have fully autonomous drones. Sure, give them a decade or two and they'll have miniature, weaponized drones soon enough.

I think from watching all the videos of self navigating quadrocopters that do tricks I can safely assume that a lot of people (including the government) can

The quadrocopters you're seeing on youtube generally have very specific navigation requirements that require lot of infrastructure and preparation in the area they're flying.

More so than drones I think. Internal flying vs external, the former has to deal with much more restrictions (physically) than the latter.

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