On September 8, 2016, Alphabet, a Google parent, announced a partnership with Chipotle to launch a burrito delivery system at Virginia Tech utilizing—autonomous drones[1]. The FAA has approved the program, but before students begin lining up by the dozens to get their Tex-Mex fix, there are some limitations[2]. First, drones are not allowed to fly over students, therefore, the university has designated a select kiosk where individuals order and wait for their burritos[3]. Secondly, because the drones aren’t allowed to fly over students, only select individuals will be initially capable of ordering burritos via drone[4]. The reality of burrito-bearing drones at the hands of our fingertips is one that is only available to a select few and will come with a variety of issues that may make the technology more infuriating than enticing.
So what’s the issue that no one seems to be talking about? Well, we know that drones aren’t allowed to fly over students—but the privacy of students will inevitably be affected by this technology. The FAA currently prohibits individuals flying for hobby or recreation from flying below 400 ft., near groups of people, or over stadiums or sports events[5]. However, the rules in regards to drones for commercial usage are becoming more lenient to increase innovation[6]. The result? An increasingly complex environment where the government, corporations and universities will have to address the benefits of burritos over student’s privacy. So while we can take a moment to bask in the glory of drone armies bringing Chipotle to hungry boys and girls across our college campuses, we must do so with reservation. With power comes responsibility and who is responsible for student’s privacy?
[1] Matt McFarland, Google drones will deliver Chipotle burritos at Virginia Tech, CNN (Sept. 8, 2016), http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/08/technology/google-drone-chipotle-burrito/.
[2] Kate Cox, Google Will Actually Deliver Burritos By Drone To Some Lucky College Kids, CONSUMERIST (Sept. 8 2016), https://consumerist.com/2016/09/08/google-will-actually-deliver-burritos-by-drone-to-some-lucky-college-kids/.
[3] Matt McFarland, Google drones will deliver Chipotle burritos at Virginia Tech, CNN (Sept. 8, 2016), http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/08/technology/google-drone-chipotle-burrito/.
[4] Kate Cox, Google Will Actually Deliver Burritos By Drone To Some Lucky College Kids, CONSUMERIST (Sept. 8 2016), https://consumerist.com/2016/09/08/google-will-actually-deliver-burritos-by-drone-to-some-lucky-college-kids/.
[5] Where to Fly, FAA (June 14, 2016 1:23:02 PM EDT), https://www.faa.gov/uas/where_to_fly/.
[6] Nyshka Chandran, FAA’s new drone laws go into effect Monday, allowing US companies to innovate, CNBC (Aug. 29, 2016), http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/29/faas-new-drone-laws-go-into-effect-monday-allowing-us-companies-to-innovate.html.