[ISL]

The natural cycle continues. Young disruptors grow older and move for regulation and control.

If drones are outlawed, only outlaws will have drones.

What may be needed isn't laws and regulations, but a common understanding of what is and isn't acceptable for drones. There's not a lot of room on our planet; it's important for us to develop societal norms for where we want and don't want technology.

It's jarring to find popped helium balloons in the wilderness. I'd be sad and unhappy to see and hear drones flitting about our treasured mountains, and even in our city skies. We're tool-builders, but we must be careful with our tools.

[pan69]

> What may be needed isn't laws and regulations, but a common understanding of what is and isn't acceptable for drones.

Sure. People don't even seem to understand the rules of road and keep killing each other and themselves, and you're pushing for "common understanding of what is and isn't acceptable".

Most people who walk this earth are not as clever as you might think. Just because you're intelligent, doesn't mean that everyone else is.

It seems that the human race needs very strict boundaries and limitations. But then again, in the US it's normal to have a gun and look at how "common understanding of what is and isn't acceptable" is working with that.

It's obviously only a matter of time before some dipshit is going to fly a bomb into some embassy. I understand that this will be the "outlaw" doing this but nevertheless, if you're not able to prevent it, by outlawing it you have at least the option to prosecute when abuse takes place.

(shit, reading this back I sound like some right wing fanatic. I can assure you I'm not :).

[ISL]

Fortunately, bombing an embassy is already against the law. No shortage of ways to prosecute.

[banachtarski]

Agreed. Anybody can make a molotov cocktail at home. Does that mean war is "democratized?" We have all sorts of means for surveillance too. Honestly, Eric Schmidt strikes me as a luddite. What's to stop a motivated individual from making his own drones illegally?

[sentenza]

It is sensible to have regulation.

But his suggestion is so completely asinine, it even directly hurts Google!

If this ever gains any traction, the question will arise why drones in the sky should be unavailable to private individuals but drones moving on the ground should be available.

You know.

Drones on the ground, aka self-driving cars.