FACEBOOK getting its own set of DRONES. Heyniceokay.
Because — of course. Why wouldn’t Facebook get its own army of drones? It’s the New Black! The coolest list of tech-suaveness. Buy your drones, launch your army, prepare for the great Corporo-Warfare of 20xx
TechCrunch is reporting that Facebook is in discussions to purchase Titan Aerospace—in a bid to secure its own fleet of endurance drones to take internet to the air.
The small aircraft made by Titan are in fact solar powered, and can stay in the air for up to five years at a time. According to Techcrunch’s sources, Zuckerberg & Co. are interested in the drones as a means to deliver internet across the skies, with grand plans of using 11,000 of the company’s Solara 60 UAVs to provide data across Africa. Titan confirmed with TechCrunchthat it has been in discussions with Facebook.
If that sounds like Google’s crazy Project Loon—which aims to use thousands of high-pressure balloons to provide internet from the skies—it’s because it is. That project is already trialling in New Zealand, offering 50 users internet access from above. The idea of Facebook using drones to supply data from the skies certainly chimes with its drive to expand internet access globallyas part of the Internet.org initiative.
Titan’s Solara drones can be launched at night using battery power, then take advantage of the sun when it rises, using solar technology to drive them up to 20 kilometers above sea level. There, they can cruise for up to five years without needing to land or refuel. TechCrunch reports that Facebook is mulling a purchase of Titan for $60 million. So, even if the idea does seem a little far-fetched—which, admit it, it does—it could prove a bargain compared to WhatsApp.[Gizmodo]
Oh sure they claim it is to take the Internet to the skies, but let’s be real. Illuminati+Facebook=network of social media mavens who survive the Robo-Apocalypse and still can communicate from their bunkers. Obvious, right?