Jul 1, 2026, 6:01 PMRight now, the only thing holding back most police from deploying armed drones and robots is the policies of companies and the social stigma surrounding the issue. Neither of these will hold forever. We need regulation. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/lawmakers-must-act-now-prevent-armed-police-drones
@eff Technology outpaces the law, because the methodology is always the same: by the time a law is passed, three generations of surveillance techniques have already been developed. States have realized that attacking encryption itself is pointless (it's too complex); instead, they control entry and exit points, providers, and infrastructures and currently, they are controlling the narratives via AI.
@eff We won’t need Skynet. The Tech bros will do it all themselves.
And when we fight back, they’ll call us ungrateful.
@eff WHAT LAWMAKERS? They don't give a damn about us. Cheeto made it clear years ago. I'd be ashamed and mortified to be in his body. (I can't find his brain so that likely helps him.)
@eff your headline made me look up US property air rights. I couldn't find the official page but did see this entry on Justia. I thought there was still a federal level of drone protection -- all drones, not just law enforcement -- but it appears essentially non-existent. https://www.justia.com/aviation/air-rights-and-freedoms/
@eff I wrote this short story in 2017 after reading an article by New Scientist titled "The ethics issue: Should we give robots the right to kill?.
It's a fitting time to revisit.
Is the speed of legislatures not too slow generally? Passing and implementing laws more rapidly has its own drawbacks.
In Canada there are already regulations surrounding flying drones, not specifically directed at police only. I would be very surprised if the same is not in the United States already.
@eff Probably time to start talking about Leonardo as well. Please don't be complicit.
Jul 1, 2026, 9:30 PM@eff I've said it before, and I'll repeat it here. If law enforcement is going to launch drones - for any purpose - operators need to adhere to the FAA guidelines for (UAS) Commercial Drone Licenses. This includes passing knowledge tests and registering a drone to receive the following information:
FCC ID: ___
UAV ID: ___
UAV NAME: ___
UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) ID: (This is the FAA remote ID number broadcasted from the drone) ____
OPERATOR ID: ___
The Federal Law for flying drones adheres to Local Authorities as well.
Source: https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators
#drones #FAA
@eff Are these drones in the room with you now?
@eff And/Or anti drone measures...
@eff don’t forget your drone hunting license
Jul 2, 2026, 12:06 AMWe have PD cybertrucks and flock cameras *donated* by our local oligarch, so far. Less accountability when public funds are not used.
Armed drones are probably already in beta test…
🗼🗽🎡⛲