Category Archives: Privacy

Charlottesville initiates the drone conversation

By Gideon Resnick

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia with Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello nearby. Now it is also known as a “No Drone Zone” because of a City Council resolution prohibiting the production, lease or sale of drones within the city limits.

On Feb. 4, the Charlottesville City Council passed the resolution, which also prohibits the use of drones for surveillance, precludes information obtained by drones to be used in court and restricts any drones from carrying “anti-personnel devices.” Mayor Satyendra Huja, who voted for the resolution, is concerned that drones can infringe upon constitutional rights.

“There are no guidelines on how to use drones,” Huja said.   Continue reading →

The Fourth Amendment perspective

By Fritz Burgher

Privacy law has evolved over the past century as technology has rapidly improved. To learn about key Supreme Court decisions and how they may relate to domestic surveillance via the use of drones, explore the timeline below.

‘Drones are going to turn people into chickens in cages. They’ll be watched all the time’

Reporter Gideon Resnik interviews Amie Stepanovich of the Electronic Privacy Information Center and John W. Whitehead, founder of The Rutherford Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, about civil liberties issues related to drones.

Privacy advocates criticize border patrol drones in Senate immigration plan

By Cathaleen Chen and Kimberly Railey

WASHINGTON —The Senate immigration bill would create a a 24/7 surveillance system at U.S. borders that would rely significantly on increased use of drones.

Under the bill, no immigrant with provisional legal status could apply for a green card if the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t effectively secured the border — a benchmark that border hawks want tied to citizenship.

Currently, the U.S. Customs and Border patrol operates 10 unarmed drones.   Continue reading →

Privacy hawks complicate path for drones over U.S.

By Marshall Cohen

WASHINGTON — The rapidly expanding industry of domestic drones is effectively unregulated when it comes to privacy protections — but not for lack of trying.

Congress has passed few laws regulating drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, but two clear sides emerged: a handful of lawmakers and civil liberties groups pushing for privacy restrictions are stacked against a pro-drone caucus with dozens of House members and support from the UAV industry.

The Obama administration regularly deploys armed drones for overseas military strikes, and unarmed models of the same Predator drones are used to patrol U.S. borders.   Continue reading →