SKYNET 2020!

SKYNET 2020!  If you're a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Terminator franchise, you're well aware of Skynet.  It was the real science fiction bad guy in the movie series.  You know, the movie world of science fiction, fantasy, made up, couldn't really happen in a million years, make believe movie world...or could it?  There is definitely a potential dark side to today's SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Company Tests Drone-Enforced Social Distancing: New Scientist magazine claims a startup technology company, called Skylark, is currently testing drone-enforced social distancing. The company is allowing police officers in India to use their drones to monitor evening curfews and the distance between people. The drones send alerts to the police when people get too close to one another. Authorities can then issue fines if people break the rules. Skylark is based in the United States.

Skynet, ummm Skylark is testing drone enforced...enforced?  Don't get me wrong, I think that drones, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehichles) or UASs (Unmanned Aerial Systems) are a great tool.  We've seen them become a very important tool for precision agriculture, the energy sector where they are used for security and inspection, public safety and countless other applications that most people are unaware of in our daily lives.

North Dakota is a leader in drone technology and it provides great jobs around our state, region, country and globally.  The technology is here to stay and I'm glad that North Dakota is on the cutting edge.  Where my faith tends to wane is when it comes to who and why is technology being implemented.  Sometimes, things can tend to get a bit Orwellian, read the book 1984.  Remember that now days, Big Brother Is Watching, or SKYNET 2020...SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!