Legislation would require warrants for domestic drone use

Thu, 2012-06-14 07:39 AM
By: Mark Rockwell

A bill that would look to limit the use of unmanned aerial vehicles domestically and allow civil suits if they are misused was introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on June 12.

The legislation, The Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act of 2012, S. 3287, “protects individual privacy against unwarranted governmental intrusion” by drones, said Paul. The bill was introduced in the Senate Judiciary Committee and has no co-sponsors. Its text hasn’t yet been forwarded from the Government Printing Office, but was available on Rand’s Website on June 14.

"Like other tools used to collect information in law enforcement, in order to use drones a warrant needs to be issued. Americans going about their everyday lives should not be treated like criminals or terrorists and have their rights infringed upon by military tactics," Paul said in a June 12 statement.

Specifically, the act bars the use of drones “by the government” without a warrant, except in certain circumstances. The bill wouldn’t prohibit the vehicles’ use in border patrol and law enforcement with “reasonable suspicion,” in instances where “swift drone action is necessary to prevent ‘imminent danger to life,’” would be allowed.

The proposed legislation also wouldn’t bar the vehicles’ use when there is a “high risk of a terrorist attack.”

Private citizens would also be able to sue the government for violations and also specifies that evidence obtained in violations couldn’t be used in criminal, civil or regulatory actions.

Legislation would require warrants for domestic drone use | Government Security News