Favorite Drone as first responder (DFR) adoption really took off in 2025. Though the concept has been around since 2018, this year saw more normalization of the technology, its integration into more real-time crime center structures, and the implementation of automated deployment of drones. A DFR program features a fleet of camera-equipped drones, which can…
All posts tagged Surveillance Drones
Aerial and Drone Surveillance: 2024 in Review
Favorite We’ve been fighting against aerial surveillance for decades because we recognize the immense threat from Big Brother in the sky. Even if you’re behind within the confines of your backyard, you are exposed to eyes from above. Aerial surveillance was first conducted with manned aircrafts, which the Supreme Court held was permissible without a…
Unveiling Venezuela’s Repression: Surveillance and Censorship Following July’s Presidential Election
Favorite The post was written by Laura Vidal (PhD), independent researcher in learning and digital rights. This is part one of a series. Part two on the legacy of Venezuela’s state surveillance is here. As thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets across the country to demand transparency in July’s election results, the ensuing repression…
Victory! Police Drone Footage is Not Categorically Exempt From California’s Public Records Law
Favorite Video footage captured by police drones sent in response to 911 calls cannot be kept entirely secret from the public, a California appellate court ruled last week. The decision by the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth District came after a journalist sought access to videos created by Chula Vista Police Department’s “Drones…
The State of Chihuahua Is Building a 20-Story Tower in Ciudad Juarez to Surveil 13 Cities–and Texas Will Also Be Watching
Favorite EFF Special Advisor Paul Tepper and EFF intern Michael Rubio contributed research to this report. Chihuahua state officials and a notorious Mexican security contractor broke ground last summer on the Torre Centinela (Sentinel Tower), an ominous, 20-story high-rise in downtown Ciudad Juarez that will serve as the central node of a new AI-enhanced surveillance…
EFF to Michigan Court: Governments Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Use a Drone to Spy on You Without a Warrant
Favorite Should the government have to get a warrant before using a drone to spy on your home and backyard? We think so, and in an amicus brief filed last Friday in Long Lake Township v. Maxon, we urged the Michigan Supreme Court to find that warrantless drone surveillance of a home violates the Fourth…
Podcast Episode: Making the Invisible Visible
Favorite What would the internet look like if it weren’t the greatest technology of mass surveillance in the history of mankind? Trevor Paglen wonders about this, and he makes art from it. %3Ciframe%20height%3D%2252px%22%20width%3D%22100%25%22%20frameborder%3D%22no%22%20scrolling%3D%22no%22%20seamless%3D%22%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fplayer.simplecast.com%2F04c961d3-fe06-4b98-bf70-067432bacfc3%3Fdark%3Dtrue%26amp%3Bcolor%3D000000%22%20allow%3D%22autoplay%22%3E%3C%2Fiframe%3E Privacy info. This embed will serve content from simplecast.com To Paglen, art is a conversation with the past and the future…
Over-the-Horizon Drones Line Up But Privacy Is Not In Sight
Favorite The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will soon rule on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones, which are capable of flying while its operator (pilot) is far away. While these types of drones might offer benefits to society—think of deliveries, infrastructure inspection, and precision agriculture—they also pose serious threats to our privacy. The FAA…
Victory! Fourth Circuit Rules Baltimore’s Warrantless Aerial Surveillance Program Unconstitutional
Favorite This blog post was cowritten by EFF intern Lauren Yu. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled last week that Baltimore’s use of aerial surveillance that could track the movements of the entire city violated the Fourth Amendment. The case, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle v. Baltimore Police Department, challenged the…
Border Spy Tech Shouldn’t Be a Requirement for a Path to Citizenship
Favorite The Border Security and Immigration Reform Act (H.R. 6136), introduced before Congress last week, would offer immigrants a new path to citizenship in exchange for increased high tech government surveillance of citizens and immigrants alike. The bill calls for increased DNA and other biometric screening, updated automatic license plate readers, and expanded social media…