Creepy news item of the day

This isn't the only "technological arms race" that's taking place right now (see tablet computers, smartphones, motion capture video games, 3-D everything, etc.) but some of the people driving this one have fairly creepy intentions. Basically, it's unmanned drones for the common person and they'd be used to track spouses, spy on celebrities and generally just give us access to way more data than we should have. It saddens me to know that my beloved geek incubator, MIT, is one of the leaders in the development of this technology.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Gary Morgan, chief executive of the celebrity-photo agency, said he'd like to be buzzing his quarry soon with silent, miniature drones mounted with tiny cameras. No more harassment from helicopters hovering in the Hollywood Hills.

"It would strike fear in the hearts of every celebrity having a birthday party," Mr. Morgan said. "Call it C3paparazzo," after the robot in Star Wars.

Personal drones aren't yet plying U.S. flyways. But an arms race is building among people looking to track celebrities, unfaithful lovers or even wildlife. Some organizations would like them for emergency operations in areas hit by natural disasters. Several efforts to develop personal drones are scheduled for completion in the next year.

Here's a comparative graphic to the Predator Drones we've all become accustomed to hearing about in the news.