EFF Action Alert: Don't Give DHS and DOJ Free Rein to Shoot Down Private Drones

[TheBlackAdder]

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When government agencies hide their activities from the public, private drones can be a crucial tool for transparency and journalism. But now, some members of Congress want to give the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—the power to intercept and destroy private drones it considers a “threat,” with no safeguards ensuring that that power isn’t abused.

To make it worse, members of Congress are expected to vote on these powers as part of a routine Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, with no chance for meaningful debate on how best to limit the government’s authority to intercept or destroy drones.

We can’t hand the right to take over or shoot down private drones to the DHS and DOJ, offices that are already notorious for their hostility to public oversight. Let’s tell the House of Representatives to reject the FAA authorization bill unless these powers are stripped from it.

While the language expected to appear in the FAA bill hasn’t been made public yet, a similar bill was introduced in Congress earlier this year. It would have given DHS the ability to “track,” “disrupt,” “control,” and “seize or otherwise confiscate” any drone that the government deems to be a “threat,” without a warrant or due process. It’s easy to see how language this broad and vague could be abused: DHS and DOJ could interpret it to include the power to stop journalists or private citizens from using drones to document their activities, including malfeasance at DHS detention facilities.

Follow the link to contact your representative.

https://act.eff.org/action/don-t-give-dhs-and-doj-free-rein-to-shoot-down-private-drones

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