Even though the FBI apparently felt the need to start flying the drones before writing rules for their use, Mueller told lawmakers he wasn’t opposed to coming up with some for the future. He said the agency was in the initial stages of creating privacy regulations related to surveillance drones.
But Lofgren and Poe, in their letter, make it clear they want FBI agents to obtain warrants before using drones for surveillance of individuals, and to go to a court before using drones to do generalized snooping. They also want the agency to promise not to equip its drones with lethal weapons. Interestingly, while the lawmakers ask about the FBI’s plans for drones carrying nonlethal weapons, they don’t ask the agency to swear off them.
By: Joshua Brustein | July 02, 2013 | Businessweek
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