Domestic drones ‘an imminent threat to privacy,’ petition to FAA warns
Domestic drones are “an imminent threat to the privacy of every U.S. citizen,” the Electronic Privacy Information Center said this week in a petition to the Federa Aviation Administration. The ACLU says it is onboard with the petition as well.
“Google, inc. has already started using drones in other countries to supplement the images for their Street View service. In Hollywood, companies are developing “paparazzi drones” in order to follow and photograph celebrities. Private detectives have also found use for drones to assist with persistent tracking of their targets. Criminals and others may use drones for purposes of stalking and harassment,” the petition says.
“The consequences of increased government surveillance through the use of drones are even more troubling. The ability to link facial recognition capabilities on drone cameras to the FBI’s Next Generation Identification database, the largest collection of biometric data in the world, increases the First Amendment risks for would-‐be political dissidents. In addition, the use of drones implicates significant Fourth Amendment interests and common law privacy rights.”
The president earlier this month signed legislation requiring that drones ben integrated into commercial airspace.
