Ethics course on the use of drones
Online course of 300 hours in ethics in the use of drones, structured in 6 modules covering applied ethics, privacy and data protection, public use and public safety, autonomy and artificial intelligence, and social and environmental impact, with an assigned technical tutor.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Apply ethical theories to the analysis of drone uses.
Assess the privacy impact of drone operations.
Analyse the proportionality of public use of drones.
Reflect on autonomy and meaningful human control.
Interpret the GDPR and the Artificial Intelligence Act in this field.
Identify the social and environmental impacts of drones.
Draft codes of conduct and ethical safeguards.
Who it's for
- Technology ethics officers.
- Data protection officers.
- Responsible innovation consultants.
- Public policy analysts.
- Compliance managers at UAS operators.
- Researchers in the ethics of technology.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to work in public administration.
What you'll work with
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR, data protection)
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act)
- Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (fundamental rights in the EU)
- Directive (EU) 2016/680 (data protection in law enforcement)
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 (rules for operating unmanned aircraft)
- Organic Law 3/2018 (Spanish personal data protection law)
- Regulation (EU) 2021/821 (export control of dual-use items)
- ISO/IEC 42001 (artificial intelligence management systems)
- PILAR tool
- AEPD Gestiona EIPD tool
- European Commission ALTAI tool
- Miro
- NVivo
6 modules
1.1Ethical theories: consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics1.2Ethics of technology and engineering1.3Professional codes of conduct1.4The precautionary principle1.5Moral responsibility of the engineer1.6Dual-use technologies1.7Social value of drones1.8Ethics and responsible innovation1.9Ethical dilemmas across the product life cycle1.10Case study: ethical dilemma in the design of a surveillance drone
2.1Right to privacy and to one's own image2.2Personal data captured by drones2.3GDPR principles applied to drones2.4Data protection impact assessment2.5Privacy by design2.6Video surveillance and public spaces2.7Facial recognition and biometrics2.8Remote identification and operator data2.9Guidelines of the European Data Protection Board2.10Practical: impact assessment of a surveillance operation
3.1Drones in police forces3.2Proportionality and necessity3.3Democratic oversight and transparency3.4Surveillance of demonstrations3.5Borders and migration3.6Fundamental rights at stake3.7Bias in automated analysis systems3.8Accountability3.9Independent oversight mechanisms3.10Workshop: proportionality analysis of a police deployment
4.1Levels of autonomy4.2Meaningful human control4.3International debate on autonomous weapon systems4.4Explainability and traceability of decisions4.5The European Artificial Intelligence Regulation4.6Algorithmic bias in perception4.7Liability for autonomous failures4.8Trust and acceptance4.9Trustworthy AI frameworks4.10Case study: ethical assessment of an automatic detection system
5.1Noise and nuisance to the population5.2Impact on wildlife5.3Equity in access to aerial services5.4Employment and workforce transformation5.5Community consent5.6Public participation5.7Sustainability and life cycle5.8Responsible communication5.9Ethical culture in the company5.10Case study: public consultation for an urban drone service
6.1Selection of the use case6.2Stakeholder identification6.3Analysis of conflicting values6.4Privacy impact assessment6.5Analysis of social impacts6.6Proposed safeguards6.7Code of conduct6.8Transparency plan6.9Report and presentation6.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Training is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so you can combine it with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is the PILAR tool, the AEPD Gestiona EIPD tool, the European Commission ALTAI tool, Miro and NVivo, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied on real procedures for data protection impact assessments, stakeholder case analysis and ethical deliberation workshops. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final integrated project.
Standards covered: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act), the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Directive (EU) 2016/680, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Organic Law 3/2018 on Personal Data Protection, Regulation (EU) 2021/821 on dual-use items and ISO/IEC 42001.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with the PILAR tool, the AEPD Gestiona EIPD tool, the European Commission ALTAI tool, Miro and NVivo, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
No prior qualification is required; you need an internet connection, a computer capable of running the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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