Examining the Ethical Considerations of Humanitarian Drones

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the ethical considerations of using drones in humanitarian contexts and develop recommendations to address safety, privacy, and regulatory concerns. Humanitarian drones are predominately used to support disaster prevention, relief, and global health missions. Despite clear benefits of using drones for humanitarian missions, evidence of drones’ military past is still present, raising serious ethical concerns. Due to the rapid evolution of this technology, drone regulations are lagging, which only adds to these collective concerns. Widespread regulatory change is needed to guide ethical drone use. The recommendations developed in this paper can be used by public agencies and volunteer organizations to guide their drone use in humanitarian contexts. These recommendations include implementing standards that combine the principles outlined in the Framework for the Ethics Assessment of Humanitarian Drones (FEAHD) and proactive aviation Safety Management Systems (SMSs) to address safety and privacy concerns.