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On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed the FAA Reauthorization Act, which gives U.S. authorities the power to shoot down privately owned drones. While the bill is intended to protect aircraft from drones, the The ACLU told Techcrunch that “These provisions give the government virtually carte blanche to surveil, seize, or even shoot a drone out of the sky - whether owned by journalists or commercial entities - with no oversight or due process."
The EFF agreed, arguing the bill endangers the First and Fourth Amendment rights of freedom of speech and the protection from warrantless device seizures. "If lawmakers want to give the government the power to hack or destroy private drones, then Congress and the public should have the opportunity to debate how best to provide adequate oversight and limit those powers to protect our right to use drones for journalism, activism, and recreation," the EFF said.
The EFF agreed, arguing the bill endangers the First and Fourth Amendment rights of freedom of speech and the protection from warrantless device seizures. "If lawmakers want to give the government the power to hack or destroy private drones, then Congress and the public should have the opportunity to debate how best to provide adequate oversight and limit those powers to protect our right to use drones for journalism, activism, and recreation," the EFF said.