US Senators Cite Drone Threat to Privacy

Interior of a drone

A bipartisan group of US senators expressed profound concern today that the wide-open, domestic use of drones signifies a potentially dangerous erosion of privacy rights.

According to an article in today's Los Angeles Times, "So far, no privacy policy defines how long government authorities may keep video and other data collected by the drones, how it can be used or whether it can be shared with other government agencies or the public."

Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) expressed their deep concern over unregulated drone activity and its impact on privacy. Their hearings on this issue have assumed greater urgency as the drone industry has undertaken something of a full-court press to sell its products in the US market. Their potential clients extend well beyond natural surveillance constituencies, such as law enforcement agencies. As the LA Times report noted, "Congress has mandated the FAA to open U.S. airspace to commercial drone traffic by September 2015..."

Real estate firms, "data aggregators," and traffic reporting services are among those enterprise categories keenly interested in obtaining the Sons of Predator. Unstated are the darker uses of drones, such as private investigation businesses and tabloid publications, which would presumably be legal. Would the First Amendment cover their activities?