Drones+

The use of unmanned drones for surveillance and targeted anti-guerrilla strikes has been a focus of ethical and political controversy. From 2002-2013, over 475 US drone attacks resulted in an estimated 3,900-4,700 deaths – the key word being “estimated”. As these attacks are so distant, most of these deaths have not been formally acknowledged. Of the estimated 3,105 people killed in Pakistan, less than 2% were ‘high-profile’ targets. Regretfully, 535 were civilians, and 175 children.

Drones+ is an informative app created out of the lack of transparency in warfare, and on how especially the US government is spending its citizens’ tax-dollars. The app works by sending a pop-up alert every time there is a United States drone attack. It is a simple application – but it serves an important function: keeping the world in the loop about remote-control warfare. The Drones+ app improves life by allowing Americans, and the world, to be as connected to their foreign policy as they are to their smartphones. By delivering real-time information from reliable news reports, the app brings us closer to places like Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia – reminding us of the violence we unleash but rarely witness.

Despite the design being rejected by Apple’s App Store on three consecutive occasions, most recently due to “excessively objectionable or crude content”, the corresponding Twitter account @Dronestream is gathering quite the following. The content of the app focuses solely on mapping the location of an attack followed by details on how many people were killed, and displays no graphic content.

It is the app’s creator, Josh Begley’s hope to refocus the epic conflict that has defined American priorities since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and that with gathered support from U.S. citizens, we will be able to foresee a day when the so-called war on terror might all end.