{"id":9057,"date":"2020-06-17T18:02:17","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T15:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.media\/?p=9057"},"modified":"2020-06-18T19:50:12","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T16:50:12","slug":"the-u-s-flies-drones-and-spy-planes-over-american-cities-to-surveil-protesters-and-maybe-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/the-u-s-flies-drones-and-spy-planes-over-american-cities-to-surveil-protesters-and-maybe-more\/","title":{"rendered":"The U.S. Flies Drones and Spy Planes Over American Cities to Surveil Protesters and Maybe More"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the civil protests in the U.S. continue, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) reported<\/a> that a military-class drone was surveilling the protesters in Minneapolis in late May.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The drone was operated by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and flew at the altitude of 6 km (20,000 ft) in a hexagonal shape. Notably, the Minneapolis downtown that was under drone surveillance is outside of the area where CBP is authorized to operate. For now, it is still unclear which agency has authorized the operation.<\/p>\n

Inside the Drone<\/h2>\n

The POGO also reported that the drone designated Predator B was equipped with electro-optical infrared cameras, landscape-change hi-res scanners, and a radio system.<\/p>\n

Still, the watchdog noted that while the equipment above is a standard package, the drone can also be equipped with devices that geolocate cell-phones.<\/p>\n

Martin Shelton of Freedom of Press Foundation also noted<\/a> that \u201cit\u2019s likely that some of these planes are outfitted with a Dirtbox or a similar technology,\u201d which is designed to intercept calls and messages, as well as identify phone numbers.<\/p>\n

While there is no evidence that such devices have actually been used, there are reasonable concerns that their security is not sufficient.<\/p>\n

Data Protection and Privacy Are Not on the Table<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe agency has failed to safeguard surveillance video and photographic data collected through this drone program, leaving the data exposed for potential abuse,\u201d<\/i><\/b> the situation analysis from the POGO reads.\u00a0<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This view is echoed<\/a> by an earlier report titled Protecting Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Programs<\/i> by the Department of Homeland Security. In 2015, the department advised against collecting or retaining data gathered by drones \u201c solely for the purpose of monitoring activities protected by the U.S. Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three years later, though, the general inspector of the Homeland Security stated<\/a> that CBP \u201chas not ensured effective safeguards for surveillance information, such as images and video, collected on and transmitted from its unmanned aerial systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, CBP acknowledged<\/a> that they have been flying the drone saying that it was used to provide assistance to ground law enforcement \u201cgiving them situational awareness, maximizing public safety, while minimizing the threat to personnel and assets.\u201d<\/p>\n

CBP was not the sole agency to use the aid of unmanned aerial vehicles, though. The Associated Press reports suggest<\/a> that the FBI and some other federal law enforcement agencies fly surveillance planes over American cities that are technically owned by front companies with confusing ownership.<\/p>\n

The House Reacts<\/h2>\n

The news prompted certain U.S. lawmakers to voice their protest and request greater accountability from the government.<\/p>\n

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Now @VICE<\/a> reporting that @CBP<\/a> is sending predator drones over #GeorgeFloyd<\/a> protests in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

This is what happens when leaders sign blank check after blank check to militarize police, CBP, etc while letting violence go unchecked.<\/p>\n

We need answers. And we need to defund. https:\/\/t.co\/tfBZFRNI9G<\/a><\/p>\n

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 29, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n