Canadian police forces have been using drones for many years, but scrutiny of their use is lacking, especially as the technology has evolved, privacy and surveillance researchers say.

Their concerns come after Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 Chief Const. Adam Palmer revealed that investigators deployed drones to locate a suspect in a pair of gruesome stranger attacks in the city香蕉视频直播檚 downtown on Wednesday, that left one man dead and another with a severed hand.

Palmer paid tribute to the role of the drone operator in the arrest of 34-year-old White Rock man, who has now been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Brenda McPhail, an instructor in the public policy and digital society program at McMaster University, said the public only tends to hear about police use of drones 香蕉视频直播渨here there香蕉视频直播檚 been a success.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淰ery generally, the transparency and accountability for the police use of drones is a concern,香蕉视频直播� McPhail said in an interview. 香蕉视频直播淧olice forces across Canada have been using drones for some time and yet you hear very little about them in the public.香蕉视频直播�

She said the public rarely gets a 香蕉视频直播渓ine of sight into a failure香蕉视频直播� or misuse of the technology.

香蕉视频直播淲hat we don香蕉视频直播檛 get is scrutiny about the mistakes,香蕉视频直播� McPhail said.

Drone technology had changed a lot in the last five years, she said, including newer and better cameras, and the potential to couple them with facial recognition technology makes it 香蕉视频直播渢ime for renewed scrutiny香蕉视频直播� of police drone programs in Canada.

The Vancouver Police Department香蕉视频直播檚 drone program was launched in 2019, and McPhail said it went through a 香蕉视频直播減olicy process香蕉视频直播� that included consultations with privacy and civil liberties advocates.

The resultant 香蕉视频直播渞emotely piloted aerial system香蕉视频直播� policy includes a ban on flights 香蕉视频直播渇or surveillance purposes,香蕉视频直播� except where there香蕉视频直播檚 an 香蕉视频直播渋mminent risk to life or safety.香蕉视频直播�

It also bans drone flights to record or identify people taking part in peaceful protests.

The 2019 policy touts drones as tools 香蕉视频直播渢o gather digital imagery in an effort to support public safety, enhance investigative techniques, expand operational awareness and aid in critical incident resolution.香蕉视频直播�

Police drone pilots, the policy states, can be authorized to aid in a number of situations including 香蕉视频直播渕ass casualty events,香蕉视频直播� disaster responses, missing persons investigations, hazardous material spills or volatile situations including 香蕉视频直播渂arricaded suspects, hostage situations, active deadly threat scenarios, high risk search warrants, and suicidal persons.香蕉视频直播�

Palmer said Wednesday the department launched 香蕉视频直播渕ultiple drones香蕉视频直播� during the hunt for the Vancouver attacker, and one was in 香蕉视频直播渃lose proximity香蕉视频直播� to where investigators arrested McBride after a tip from a member of the public.

McPhail, the former director of the privacy, technology and surveillance program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, said changes to drone programs and updates to the technology should require more consultations to keep policies up-to-date and 香蕉视频直播渘ew safeguards.香蕉视频直播�

She said police in Toronto, for example, used drones to monitor crowds at a Canada Day celebration back in July, causing a 香蕉视频直播渂it of controversy.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淎nd yet in Toronto, we香蕉视频直播檝e absolutely never had a public conversation about whether we want police using surveillance drones for what they would call public safety at public gatherings, which edges very closely to public surveillance at public gatherings,香蕉视频直播� she said.

香蕉视频直播淭his kind of technology, if used inappropriately and without the right guardrails, has the potential to be really invasive. Police use of them has the potential to violate Charter rights.香蕉视频直播�

Scott Thompson, an assistant sociology professor and surveillance researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, said public opinion in Canada has been supportive of police drones in 香蕉视频直播渟ingle-event uses,香蕉视频直播� such as finding criminal suspects or aiding in searches for missing persons.

But public 香蕉视频直播減ush back香蕉视频直播� to the technologies comes when it香蕉视频直播檚 used for collecting personal information like license plates or 香蕉视频直播減attern of life香蕉视频直播� data, where peoples香蕉视频直播� movements can be tracked over large distances over long periods of time, he said.

Police forces, Thompson said, often portray drone use in the best possible terms.

香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e kind of shy to let the public know exactly what the capabilities are or how often they香蕉视频直播檙e deployed,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淏ut if we want an open society in which people can participate, we really need to know how often these technologies are being used and for what purposes.香蕉视频直播�

Thompson said drones still have limitations, such as battery life, but 香蕉视频直播渢he technology is moving forward every day.香蕉视频直播�

He said some jurisdictions in the United States have started using 香蕉视频直播渄rones as first responders,香蕉视频直播� sending them to every police call, with 香蕉视频直播渃ontinuous香蕉视频直播� flights over geographic areas, collecting data somewhat indiscriminatingly.

香蕉视频直播淭hese are places that policing in Canada have not yet stepped into, but as the technology gets better, they will be issues moving forward and that香蕉视频直播檚 where we run into that concern about routine collection and pattern of life collection,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Thompson said advancements in surveillance technologies means there香蕉视频直播檚 a growing 香蕉视频直播渋nvasiveness into our daily lives.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淭hat香蕉视频直播檚 why it香蕉视频直播檚 super important that we have these conversations now before we have constant surveillance all the time, so the public can have a say in what it is that they expect in regards to privacy and what type of policing we want in our community,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淧rivacy is a serious concern because it香蕉视频直播檚 a central feature of freedom and democracy within our society.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淲ithout privacy, we don香蕉视频直播檛 have a capacity to feel free to voice our opinions, so this is something that we always want to be concerned about.香蕉视频直播�

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