News & Commentary

This is the fourth in a series of posts focusing on issues we will be tackling at the 2014 ACLU of Ohio biennial conference, Resist. Reclaim. Restore Your Rights!

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In June 2013, The Ohio Attorney General’s office flipped the switch on a new facial recognition program that allows the government to compare anonymous snapshots to the state’s existing database of license photos and mug shots in order to look for a match.

There are also some frightening things in the works – particularly the advances in autonomous flight. The Global Hawk, for example, is a surveillance drone that is designed to take off, fly a mission, and land without a pilot. Attack drones, like the Predator and Reaper, are anticipated to fly without human control after 2020.

Currently, there are some challenges and limitations to fully integrating drones into the national airspace. All aircraft flying outside of restricted space are required to “see and avoid” other aircraft. Drones don’t have the ability to see and avoid, so the FAA requires a second operator who can watch while the pilot flies it. Drones can only fly out of sight of the second operator if they have special clearance and a specified flight pattern away from which the FAA can direct other flights (so planes don’t run into each other.) Because of these limitations, the FAA is allowing limited drone use by public and private sector.

The industry really tries to differentiate between military use “in theater” (in a battle) and civil use. The military uses drones primarily for two purposes: intelligence gathering/surveillance (such as the Global Hawk) and targeted strikes (such as the Reaper, which is larger and more heavily armed than the Predator).