On December 15th, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released its report “Protecting Privacy from Aerial Surveillance: Recommendations for Government Use of Drone Aircraft”, warning that new rules to be proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration might make it easier for US law enforcement agencies to perform drone-based surveillance on US citizens. The ACLU has argued that US privacy laws are not sufficiently evolved to ensure that technology like drones will be used in a manner consistent with the US Constitution. Given the recent impingements of the US government on the constitutional rights of citizens, the ACLU’s claims aren’t at all surprising.
You might consider escaping to Thailand, but even Thailand is succumbing to the lure of surveillance drones, with the recent purchase of several underwater mine drones equipped for surveillance and mine disposal. Beyond drones, the Thai government has enacted its own particular way of keeping tabs on its citizens: the Bangkok administration has deployed a regiment of fiberglass police dummies implanted with video cameras to various “trouble spots” around the city. These faux police men will be charged with taping footage of risky driving and speeding, recording license plate numbers, so that miscreants can be fined.
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