I have two journalist friends working on this. See http://dronejournalism.tumblr.com/about
Among other things, we see this as a way to do things like count demonstrations and film the cops vs. occupiers "discussions." I suspect, though, that there will be statutes afoot. -tj On Tue, Jan 10, 2012 at 7:41 PM, Pamela McCorduck <[email protected]> wrote: > > Some of you are on Farber's list, and won't be surprised. What's of local > interest is that most drones are flight-tested at White Sands. A good > friend, old military guy, is eager for non-classified info on this to be > made public. "There are," he says, "some ethical issues here." Well, yeah. > > > Pamela > > > > Begin forwarded message: > > *From: *Dave Farber <[email protected]> > *Date: *January 10, 2012 5:44:19 PM MST > *To: *"ip" <[email protected]> > *Subject: **[IP] EFF: Who Is Flying Unmanned Aircraft in the U.S.?* > *Reply-To: *[email protected] > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: EFF Press <[email protected]> > Date: Tue, Jan 10, 2012 at 7:33 PM > Subject: [E-B] EFF: Who Is Flying Unmanned Aircraft in the U.S.? > To: [email protected] > > > Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release > > For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 > > Contact: > > Jennifer Lynch > Staff Attorney > Electronic Frontier Foundation > [email protected] > +1 415-436-9333 x136 > > Who Is Flying Unmanned Aircraft in the U.S.? > > Government Withholds Information on Drone Flight > Authorizations > > San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) > filed suit today against the U.S. Department of > Transportation (DOT), demanding data on certifications and > authorizations the agency has issued for the operation of > unmanned aircraft, also known as drones. > > Drones are designed to carry surveillance equipment – > including video cameras, infrared cameras and heat sensors, > and radar – that can allow for sophisticated and almost > constant surveillance. They can also carry weapons. > Traditionally, drones have been used almost exclusively by > military and security organizations. However, the U.S. > Customs and Border Protection uses drones inside the United > States to patrol the U.S. borders, and state and local law > enforcement are increasingly using unmanned aircraft for > investigations into things like cattle rustling, drug > dealing, and the search for missing persons. > > Any drone flying over 400 feet needs a certification or > authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration, > part of the DOT. But there is currently no information > available to the public about who specifically has obtained > these authorizations or for what purposes. EFF filed a > Freedom of Information Act request in April of 2011 for > records of unmanned aircraft activities, but the DOT so far > has failed to provide the information. > > "Drones give the government and other unmanned aircraft > operators a powerful new surveillance tool to gather > extensive and intrusive data on Americans' movements and > activities," said EFF Staff Attorney Jennifer Lynch. "As > the government begins to make policy decisions about the > use of these aircraft, the public needs to know more about > how and why these drones are being used to surveil United > States citizens." > > Dozens of companies and research organizations are working > to develop even more sophisticated drones, so their use is > poised for a dramatic expansion in the coming years. > Meanwhile, news reports indicate that the FAA is studying > ways to integrate more drones into the national airspace > because of increased demand from federal, state, and local > governments. EFF's lawsuit asks for immediate response to > our FOIA request, including the release of data on any > certificates and authorizations issued for unmanned > aircraft flights, expired authorizations, and any > applications that have been denied. > > "The use of drones in American airspace could dramatically > increase the physical tracking of citizens – tracking that > can reveal deeply personal details about our private > lives," said Lynch. "We're asking the DOT to follow the > law and respond to our FOIA request so we can learn more > about who is flying the drones and why." > > For the full complaint: > https://www.eff.org/sites/**default/files/filenode/**EFFDroneComplaint.pdf<https://www.eff.org/sites/default/files/filenode/EFFDroneComplaint.pdf> > > For more on this case: > https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/**2012/01/drones-are-watching-**you<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/drones-are-watching-you> > > For this release: > https://www.eff.org/press/**releases/who-flying-unmanned-**aircraft-us<https://www.eff.org/press/releases/who-flying-unmanned-aircraft-us> > > About EFF > > The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading > organization protecting civil liberties in the digital > world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight > illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital > innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms > we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of > technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. > Find out more at https://www.eff.org. > > > -end- > > ______________________________**_________________ > To unsubscribe or manage your email options: > https://mail1.eff.org/mailman/**listinfo/presslist<https://mail1.eff.org/mailman/listinfo/presslist> > > Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now> > <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/127190-af666897> | > Modify<https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=127190&id_secret=127190-3843f3a3>Your > Subscription | Unsubscribe > Now<https://www.listbox.com/unsubscribe/?member_id=127190&id_secret=127190-344e49d1&post_id=20120110194424:674ABFBE-3BED-11E1-A244-EE05BDB056E4> > <http://www.listbox.com/> > > > > "Ah, the Mayan calendar. You're driving a Toyota. The odometer flips from > 100,000 to 0, but your car is still running, still needs gas, still needs > you to drive on. That's all the Mayan calendar is." > > Mayan scholar Jerry Sabloff > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > -- ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA<http://www.analyticjournalism.com> 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com [email protected] ==========================================
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