Consumers Don’t Have Privacy Concerns Over Drone Deliveries

Privacy from tech companies is a real concern these days, but consumers aren’t worried about the potential dangers when it comes to drone deliveries.

By Jason Cohen

Drones will soon be delivering our packages, but are consumers really ready for what this will mean for our privacy? Drones, of course, can carry cameras and and record video and audio. But a recent PCMag survey asked respondents what concerned them most about drones, and just 7% of 1,000 said they were worried about privacy.

Other concerns people have are receiving damaged packages, interference from people and weather, and packages being delivered to the wrong address. Only 10% are even worried about the possibility that drones could be hacked or stolen by third parties while they’re out on delivery.

Instead, 30%-the majority of respondents-are not worried about anything when it comes to drones delivering packages to their door. But will this be the consensus for long? We all agree that online privacy is a human right, but shouldn’t that also extend to the real world, when the companies tracking us will be the ones flying these drones?

Just last year, US consumers said they would reconsider buying Alexa devices over privacy concerns, and since that time, Amazon has released an indoor security drone and the Prime Air delivery drone. The company has also received approval to operate a fleet of delivery drones, so it will only be a matter of time before Amazon Prime packages are being airlifted directly to your address.

Drones are not all bad, though. Merck is using them to deliver medications to people in rural areas, which adds convenience and saves lives. The FAA also heavily regulates the usage of drones, so you can rest easy knowing that the airways won’t become congested with dangerous drone traffic.

Originally published at https://www.pcmag.com.