This is a summary of the book titled “The Good Drone: How social movements democratize surveillance” written by Austin Choi-FitzPatrick and published by MIT Press in 2020. The author asserts that drones democratize airspace. He does a comprehensive survey of civic use which is both intriguing and compelling to wonder if “unmanned aircraft” is going to be for everyone. For any social scientist, these material technologies will be engrossing. Drones began as nonviolent tools. It might be considered disruptive but it not. Malevolent drones are rare if not exclusively military and there are countermeasures against drones. Tools that accomplish social change must be “visible, accessible, affordable, useful and appropriate”.

Material technologies, such as drones, have become increasingly important in social movements and activism. They serve as tools to collect and disseminate information, sometimes making it costly for those in power to maintain the status quo. Social scientists often view new devices as weapons or threats to civil liberties, but these tools can also be used to influence society. Drones, which began as nonviolent tools, have become practical and affordable when manufacturers made them easy to control. In 2012, drone use by intergovernmental organizations, governments, businesses, scientists, and civil society groups took off. The air is no longer a place where governments and corporations rule and surveil the population, and some drone use is disruptive. Examples include a drone above the Kruger National Park in South Africa, documenting crowds in Moscow, Kyiv, Bangkok, and Istanbul, and a drone in Aleppo, Syria, showcasing the effects of a brutal siege. Other drone use is emergent and nondisruptive, such as Australian biologists investigating the health of humpback whales and the Slavery from Space project searching for brick kilns in India.

A drone helped a Sinti-Roma settlement in Hungary show the world their plight. However, social scientists often focus more on the image itself than the drone. Drones can disrupt traditional photography by taking flight, potentially leading to near-instantaneous monitoring of places or events. They can also provide unfettered views of skyscrapers, prisons, and factory farms, providing democratic surveillance. New forms of data gathering may enable drones to document police actions, potentially allowing citizens to fly over military installations. Drones may also change our concept of private spaces, raising questions about privacy and surveillance.

Drones can be used for malevolent purposes, including surveillance, hunting, and causing harm to people or infrastructure. So, privacy remains a concern, with regulations focusing on police use, surveillance without permission, hunting, and drone control. Countermeasures include drone detection systems like DroneShield and SkySafe, as well as GPS transmitters and energy beams. Drones can also be difficult to fly in strong winds, fog, or dense rain, and warm surroundings can make them undetectable. As tools of resistance, drones can be used to estimate crowd sizes and monitor police officers. However, as drone prices decrease, it is crucial to consider the psychological, economic, political, and social consequences of drone use.