Source: https://privacysos.org/domestic_drones/
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 15:58:01+00:00

Document:
In a seminal 1890 law review article aptly-titled The Right to Privacy, future Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis recognized that “instantaneous photographs… have invaded the secret precincts of private and domestic life…Of the desirability – indeed of the necessity – of some such protection there can, it is believed, be no doubt.”  Brandeis and his co-author Samuel Warren were ahead of their time when they wrote that article but even they couldn’t foresee anything like the domestic surveillance schemes that have arisen over a century later.
While the acceleration of local law enforcement to military-style operations may be inevitable,  legislative and public opposition to drone proliferation can be successful. Already, efforts to restrict drone surveillance powers have been successful in multiple state legislatures. And communities have rebelled against the technology.
The federal government also has opportunities to act on drone privacy.
Amidst all the discussion of how to limit government-operated drone use, there has been little conversation about the tricky prospect of regulating drones for personal civilian use. The FAA does very little to regulate private, non-commercial drone use,  a business which could grow quickly, and a hobby which could be co-opted by the government to skirt drone privacy rules directed at police and intelligence agencies.
Constant drone surveillance could be the next symptom of this panic.
Finally, Orwellian measures have the potential to exacerbate the security problem by provoking resentment against the government.  Drone use overseas has been demonstrated to produce dangerous blowback that threatens the national security of the country, with effects that could last for decades.  There is evidence that the worst-case scenario is already happening: in the process of trying to fight terrorism, the government can exacerbate the terrorism problem by creating new enemies.
With the rise of domestic drones as a cherry on top of an already sprawling surveillance state, America is headed in the opposite direction. But there is time yet to ensure the technology doesn't trample all over our rights.
But even short of that futuristic nightmare, drone surveillance already poses a new threat to liberty at home. As our Fourth Amendment search protection diminishes with the progress of technology,  legislative initiatives and public outcry may be the only way to protect the right to privacy in the age of domestic drones.
You can learn about the ACLU of Massachusetts' efforts to regulate drones and other cutting edge technologies here.
United States v. Robel, 389 U.S. 258, 264 (1967).
Tobey v. Jones, 706 F.3d 379, 393 (4th Cir. 2013).
Speech to the U.S. Senate, Oct. 25, 2001 (quoted in Bill Moyers’ Journal, PBS, Dec. 5, 2008, http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12052008/transcript4.html).
See generally, Richard M. Thompson II, Domestic Drone Surveillence Operations: Fourth Amendment Implications and Legislative Responses, Cong. Research Serv. (Apr. 3, 2013), available at http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42701.pdf; Norman Reimer, The Droning of America: Here, There and Everywhere, 37-Feb Champion 9 (Jan./Feb. 2013); Benjamin Kapnik, Unmanned but Accelerating: Navigating the Regulatory and Privacy Challenges of Introducing Unmanned Aircraft into the National Airspace System, 77 J. Air L. & Com. 439, 442-49 (2012).
FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Pub. L. No. 112-95, §332, 126 Stat. 11, 74; see FAA, Fact Sheet – Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Feb. 9, 2013, http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=14153. Unmanned aircraft system encompasses the aerial vehicle as well as the digital network and human operator(s).
See Steve Coll, Our Drone Delusion, New Yorker, May 6, 2013, http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2013/05/06/130506crbo_books_coll?currentPage=all; Spencer Ackerman, Welcome to the Era of Big Drone Data, Wired, Danger Room (Apr. 25, 2013), http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/04/drone-sensors-big-data/; Sen. Judiciary Comm. hearing, Drone Wars: The Constitutional and Counterterrorism Implications of Targeted Killing, Apr. 23, 2013, http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=b01a319ecae60e7cbb832de271030205; Josh Meyer, CIA Expands Use of Drones in Terror War, L.A. Times, Jan. 29, 2006, http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jan/29/world/fg-predator29; Jack M. Beard, Law and War in the Virtual Era, 103 Am. J. Int'l L. 409 (2009) (drone use in global War on Terror goes back over a decade).
See, Peter Finn, Domestic use of aerial drones by law enforcement likely to prompt privacy debate, Wash. Post. Jan. 23, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/22/AR2011012204111.html?wpisrc=nl_headline; Larry Copeland, Police turn to drones for domestic surveillance, USA Today, Jan. 14, 2011, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2011-01-13-drones_N.htm, Ed Lavandera, Drones silently patrol U.S. borders, CNN (Mar. 12, 2010, 7:30 PM EST), http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/12/border.drones/index.html?_s=PM:US; see generally,Paul McBride, Beyond Orwell: The Application of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Domestic Surveillance Operations, 74 J. Air L. & Com. 627, 628-634 (2009).
See Ben Stone, ACLU of Iowa, Preparing for the Attack of the Domestic Drones, Mar. 18, 2013 http://www.aclu-ia.org/2013/03/18/preparing-for-the-attack-of-the-domestic-drones/; Editorial, The Dawning of Domestic Drones, N.Y. Times, Dec. 25, 2012,http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/opinion/the-dawning-of-domestic-drones.html?_r=0.
SeeBrian Bennett & Joel Rubin, Drones are taking to the skies in the U.S., L.A. Times, Feb. 15, 2013 http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/15/nation/la-na-domestic-drones-20130216.
See Jennifer Lynch, FAA Releases Lists of Drone Certificates—Many Questions Left Unanswered, EFF, Apr. 19, 2012, https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/faa-releases-its-list-drone-certificates-leaves-many-questions-unanswered; see Andy Pasztor & John Emschwiller, Drone Use Takes Off on the Home Front, Wall St. J., Apr. 21, 2012, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304331204577354331959335276.html.
See US Army unveils 1.8 gigapixel camera helicopter drone, BBC, (December 29, 2011 6:11p.m.), http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-16358851.
See 9 ACLU Seeks Details on Automatic License Plate Readers in Massive Nationwide Request, ACLU (July 31, 2012), http://www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/aclu-seeks-details-automatic-licenseplate-readers-massive-nationwide-reque-4; Customs and Border Protection Today,Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Support Border Security (July/Aug. 2004), http://www.cbp.gov/xp/CustomsToday/2004/Aug/other/aerial_vehicles.xml.
Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems Within the Homeland: Security Game Changers? Hearing Before Subcomm. On Oversight, Investigations, and Management of H. Comm. on Homeland Sec., 112th Cong. 3 (2012) (statement of Amie Stepanovich, Counsel. Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)).
Mosquito-like drone at Harvard could be used to pollinate, spy on you in the shower, Privacy Matters blog (May 2, 2013, 16:17), http://www.privacysos.org/node/1047.
See Mark Brown, Lockheed uses ground-based laser to recharge drone mid-flight, Wired, July 12, 2012, http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-07/12/lockheed-lasers.
See Thompson, supra note 4, at 16.
4 Samuel D. Warren & Louis D. Brandeis, The Right to Privacy, 4 Harv. L. Rev. 193, 195, 196 (1890).
Scott Kirsner,Drones may soon buzz through local skies,Bos. Globe, Oct. 21, 2012, http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/10/20/drone-aircraft-adapted-from-military-uses-coming-skies-near-you/h1rQ29NYRYwh0o6AIeOqDN/story.html.
No police drones in MA yet, but Raytheon is flying a bunch of them, Privacy Matters blog (Apr. 22, 2013, 11:47), http://www.privacysos.org/node/590.
See Drones: Eyes in the Sky, CBS News (Feb. 10, 2013, 9:20 AM), http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57568571/drones-eyes-in-the-sky/ (“Now, drones are headed off the battlefield. They're already coming your way. AeroVironment, the California company that sells the military something like 85 percent of its fleet, is marketing them now to public safety agencies.”).
Sabrina Siddiqui, Ron Paul Shutdown After Boston Bombings More Frightening Than Attack Itself, Huffington Post (Apr. 29, 2013, 2:35 PM EDT), http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/ron-paul-boston-bombings_n_3179489.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009.
Terry Atlas & Greg Stohr, Surveillance Cameras Sought by Cities After Boston Bombs, Bloomberg, Apr. 29, 2013, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-29/surveillance-cameras-sought-by-cities-after-boston-bombs.html.
Boston police chief wants drones for next year’s marathon, RT (Apr. 26, 2013, 16:57), http://rt.com/usa/boston-marathon-surveillance-drones-452/.
See, e..g., Radley Balko, ACLU Launches Nationwide Police Militarization Investigation, Huffington Post (Mar. 22, 2013, 12:31 PM EDT), http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/aclu-police-militarization-swat_n_2813334.html; Arthur Rizer & Joseph Hartman, How the War on Terror Has Militarized the Police, Atlantic, Nov. 7, 2011, http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/11/how-the-war-on-terror-has-militarized-the-police/248047/.
Jason Koebler, City in Virginia Becomes First to Pass Anti-Drone Legislation, US News, Feb. 5, 2013, http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/02/05/city-in-virginia-becomes-first-to-pass-anti-drone-legislation–.
Joe Sutton & Catherine E. Shoiche, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signs law restricting drones, CNN (Apr. 26, 2013, 5:42 AM EDT), http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/25/us/florida-drone-law/index.html.
An Act to regulate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, Bill S.1664, available at http://malegislature.gov/Bills/188/Senate/S1664 (inserting G.L. c. 272, § 99C); see ACLU, The Drone Privacy Act, https://www.aclum.org/drones (last visited May 3, 2013).
H.R. 972, 113th Cong. (1st Sess. 2013).
H.R. 1262, 113th Cong. (2d Sess. 2013); see Dave Uberti, Drone makers struggle for acceptance, Bos. Globe, Apr. 6, 2013, http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/04/06/massachusetts-national-drone-companies-are-struggling-gain-public-acceptance-face-controversy/qtCg0CxAIUfrW7applrKWL/story.html (“Lawmakers, meanwhile, including Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts, a candidate for Senate, are introducing legislation to limit how drones can be used by law enforcement, firefighters, farmers, the media, and others in American skies.”).
See Ryan Delaney, Seeking A 'Field Of Dreams' For A Rising Drone Industry, Nat’l Pub. Radio (Feb. 26, 2013, 3:25 AM), http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/02/26/172883485/seeking-a-field-of-dreams-for-a-rising-drone-industry.
The Future of Drones in America: Law Enforcement and Privacy Considerations, Sen. Judiciary Comm., Mar. 30, 2013, http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfmid=d27f2c4073b40a8e678e4a9f6f36acec.
See Rosa Brooks, A Drone of One’s Own, Foreign Policy, Mar. 21, 2013, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/03/21/a_drone_of_ones_own?page=full.
Smart Metric, press release, Global Fingerprint Biometrics Market: $US10 Billion Industry by 2018, Yahoo! Finance (Apr. 11, 2013 11:31 AM EDT), http://finance.yahoo.com/news/global-fingerprint-biometrics-market-us10-153139564.html.
Industry: biometrics business valued at $10 billion by 2018, Privacy Matters Blog (Apr. 16, 2013, 15:28), http://privacysos.org/node/1032.
See Thom Shanker, To Track Militants, U.S. Has System That Never Forgets a Face, N.Y. Times, July 14, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/world/asia/14identity.html?_r=0.
See R. Bolle, Guide to Biometrics 81 (2004) (noting facial recognition has inherently high false positive rate).
Dan Vergano, Report questions biometric technologies in fighting crime, USA Today, Sept. 27, 2010, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2010-09-27-biometrics27_ST_N.htm.
Christopher Bregler, Prof., N.Y.U., interviewed in On The Media, The Future of Surveillence, Apr. 26, 2013, http://www.onthemedia.org/2013/apr/26/future-surveillance/transcript/.
See Azmat Khan, Senate Report: Massive Post-9/11 Surveillance Apparatus A “Waste”, PBS Frontline (Oct.3, 2012, 6:08 PM ET), http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/iraq-war-on-terror/topsecretamerica/senate-report-massive-post-911-surveillance-apparatus-a-waste/.
http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/investigations/media/investigative-report-criticizes-counterterrorism-reporting-waste-at-state-and-local-intelligence-fusion-centers; see Nancy Murray & Sarah Wunsch,Civil Liberties in Times of Crisis: Lessons from History, 87 Mass. L. Rev. 72, 83 (2002) (warning against sacrificing liberty for security).
The Terrorism Delusion, 37 International Security 81, 103 (Summer 2012), available at http://politicalscience.osu.edu/faculty/jmueller//absisfin.pdf.
Dana Priest & William Arkin, Top Secret America 12 (2011).
Dana Priest & William Arkin, A hidden world, growing beyond control, Wash. Post. (July 19, 2010 4:50 PM), http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/a-hidden-world-growing-beyond-control/print/.
Bruce Schneier, Focus on the Threat, N.Y. Times, Room for Debate (Mar. 3, 2010, 7:07 PM), http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/times-square-bombs-and-big-crowds/?src=tptw#bruce.
SeeWhitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357, 375 (1927) (Brandeis, J., concurring) (“repression breeds hate; that hate menaces stable government”), overruled byBrandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444, 449 (1969).
SeeJames Cavallaro, Drones: Killing enemies, and creating them [Blowback], L.A. Times, http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/12/news/la-ol-drones-cavallaro-blowback-20130212; see also Spencer Ackerman, Yemeni Tells Senators About ‘Fear and Terror’ Caused by U.S. Drones,Wired, Danger Room (Apr. 23, 2013, 6:50 PM), http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/04/yemen-drones-muslimi/.
Benjamin Wittes & Ritika Singh, James Madison, Presidential Power and Civil Liberties in the War of 1812, in What So Proudly We Hailed 97, 99-100 (Pietro S. Nivola ed. 2012), available at http://www.lawfareblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Chapter-5.pdf.
Other People’s Money (1914), available at http://www.law.louisville.edu/library/collections/brandeis/node/196.
See Am. Civil Liberties Union v. C.I.A., 710F.3d 422 (D.C. Cir. 2013).
Domestic drones and their unique dangers, Guardian, Mar. 29, 2013, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/29/domestic-drones-unique-dangers.
See Kyllo v. United States, 533 U.S. 27, 33-34 (2001) (“It would be foolish to contend that the degree of privacy secured to citizens by the Fourth Amendment has been entirely unaffected by the advance of technology.”); United States v. Jones, 132 S. Ct. 945, 963 (2012) (Sotomayor, J., concurring) (“The availability and use of these and other new devices will continue to shape the average person's expectations about the privacy of his or her daily movements.”); see also Orin S. Kerr, An Equilibrium-Adjustment Theory of the Fourth Amendment, 125 Harv. L. Rev. 476, 514 (2011) (discussing how Brandeis’s dissent in Olmstead v. United States, 277 U.S. 438, 478 (1928) and the majority opinion in Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 353 (1967)were rooted in a reasonable expectation of privacy that underpins the Fourth Amendment).

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