It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a drone, and it’s right over our backyards.
Drones are commonly associated with the ongoing War on Terror in the Middle East, where they are used primarily to blow terrorists – and often innocent men, women and children – to smithereens. However, some drones are used domestically, and as the years go by, these drones may have a greater presence in our lives.
The Department of Homeland Security has decided that it wants to more than double its drone fleet inside the United States. Over the last six years, the department has already spent $250 million on 10 predator drones, but the investigative reporting organization California Watch reported last week that the department signed a contract worth as much as $443 million to purchase up to 14 additional predator drones and related equipment.
This deal, along with the DHS’s ongoing efforts to “facilitate and accelerate” the adoption of small drones by police agencies around the country, may be the first steps in ushering forth a strong drone presence domestically.
In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration has estimated that as many as 30,000 of our new mechanical overlords will be buzzing over our heads and crowding the skies by the end of the decade.
However, many Americans are concerned about what flying, ever-watchful cameras could mean for their privacy.
A poll conducted in June by the Monmouth University Polling Institute of New Jersey found 64 percent of Americans were at least “somewhat concerned” about their privacy if law enforcement agencies begin using drones for surveillance. Similar results were found in an Associated Press-National Constitution Center poll from September, where 35 percent were “extremely” or “very concerned” and 24 percent were “somewhat concerned” about their privacy.
These people have every right to be worried.
The Congressional Research Service released a report in September detailing possible Fourth Amendment issues that domestic drones could potentially cause. The CRS noted that these drones could be equipped with facial recognition technology, cell phone towers to intercept calls and, in the future, able to see through walls.
Unless protections are put into place, domestic drones could pose a risk to our privacy rights – rights that have been under near constant attack since 9/11.
Yet this isn’t to say domestic drones can’t be useful.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a division of the DHS, equips the drones with various cameras and sensors to better patrol the border for illegal immigrants and drug smuggling. Various police departments believe they can be used to assist search and rescue missions, capture escaped convicts and aid law enforcement during natural disasters.
Most Americans have no problem with that.
In the Monmouth University poll, 80 percent of respondents supported the use of drones for search-and-rescue missions, and 67 percent supported using them to track down escaped criminals.
However, Americans are also aware the government and law enforcement often use their powers broadly and abusively, and this sentiment is bipartisan.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., released a draft of the Drone Aircraft Privacy and Transparency Act of 2012 in August, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced his Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act of 2012 in June.
Both bills attempt to establish clear privacy protections for the use of drones while still allowing them to be utilized for their nobler purposes.
It’s a stark example of what we need more of in this country.
Drone technology is booming, and it is increasingly likely we’ll see them used more frequently for domestic matters. However, we must first make sure we adequately protect our important rights to privacy before getting too excited with our new toys.
