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Tech

CCTV Camera Vs. Spy Drone

Is this town big enough for both?

Is this what the changing of the guard looks like?

Maybe. That's why this video is so striking--it finds a long-standing, unblinking staple of public surveillance face to face with the new kid on the block. But it's more than that. It illustrates one of the great ironies of a spreading domestic drone fear: For many people, the presence of non-lethal drones is extremely uncomfortable despite the fact that street surveillance cameras, which do essentially the same thing (only stationary), outnumber flying spy planes by the millions.

The drone seen here, the Phantom, is the same prosumer model Motherboard flew over Austin at this year's SXSW Interactive. Down there, at least, it seemed to be a hit.