HONOLULU (KHON2) -- In the past few weeks, drones have become headline material with multiple mysterious sightings on the east coast. KHON2 received numerous emails from viewers concerned about drone sightings in the skies around our islands. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You A drone expert for 13 years, Mike Elliott said the technology is here to stay and will only become more common. "Primarily used for a lot of inspection work, bridges, buildings. It's also used heavily in search and rescue, law enforcement, fire because of the thermal camera, the zoom camera capability," said Elliott, co-owner of Drone Services Hawaii. Water contamination found at Tripler Army Medical Center, E. coli Detected Concerns about privacy, safety and even national security have fueled a wave of paranoia. Recent reports of unidentified drones in the skies over the east coast have sparked confusion, something that may be happening here in the islands. "People are probably mistaking what they're seeing. You see the navigation lights, the strobes, the lights on the wheels when the wheels are down for landing." "I think whatever is happening in New Jersey, they'll figure it out pretty quickly," said aviation expert Peter Forman. Drones are subject to strict regulations. Operators must register their drones, follow FAA guidelines and keep their devices below 400 feet in most areas. Violating these rules can result in hefty fines and law enforcement has tools to track down irresponsible users. "You can't use it as a Peeping Tom camera. You can't hover over somebody's swimming pool and take pictures of them. That type of thing is illegal," Forman added. Experts said most drone users are responsible and follow the rules. "A lot of times folks are out doing regular, legitimate work, and somebody thinks something is going on, and it's not the case at all." Despite the concerns, drones have many practical applications and their use is only expected to grow. Check out more news from around Hawaii "So you are going to see a lot of change towards automation, both drones and robots and things like that," said Elliott. Anyone with concerns about drone use can contact the local FAA's Flight Standards District Office.