The Future of Drones in America: Law Enforcement and Privacy Considerations

Recently the debate about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or "drones," has largely focused on the lethal targeting of suspected terrorists, including Americans. I am convinced that the domestic use of drones to conduct surveillance and collect other information will have a broad and significant impact on the everyday lives of millions of Americans. Just in the last decade, technological advancements have revolutionized aviation to make this technology cheaper and more readily available. As a result, many law enforcement agencies, private companies, and individuals have expressed interest in operating drones in our national airspace. Drones are able to carry out arduous and dangerous tasks that would otherwise be expensive or difficult for a human to undertake. For example, in addition to law enforcement surveillance, drones will potentially be used for scientific experiments, agricultural research, geological surveying, pipeline maintenance, and search-and-rescue operations. Before we allow widespread use of drones in the domestic airspace, we have to carefully consider the impact on the privacy rights of Americans.