The New York City police department plans to pilot the unmanned aircrafts in response to complaints about large gatherings, including private events, over Labor Day weekend, officials announced Thursday.

“If a caller states there’s a large crowd, a large party in a backyard, we’re going to be utilizing our assets to go up and go check on the party,” Kaz Daughtry, the assistant NYPD Commissioner, said at a press conference.

The plan drew immediate backlash from privacy and civil liberties advocates, raising questions about whether such drone use violated existing laws for police surveillance.

“It’s a troubling announcement and it flies in the face of the POST Act,” said Daniel Schwarz, a privacy and technology strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union, referring to a 2020 city law that requires the NYPD to disclose its surveillance tactics. “Deploying drones in this way is a sci-fi inspired scenario.”

  • @Smacks
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    1 year ago

    Is it illegal to blind drone cameras with lasers yet?

    • Stoneykins [any]
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      1 year ago

      I wouldn’t risk life in prison to find out, they might just call the drone a helicopter to arrest you

      Edit: To be clear, fuck the police and their spy toys. I just don’t wanna get caught doing something that will ruin my life, and I hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else.

    • @obious
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      151 year ago

      Yes, the FAA treats it as a serious violation.

    • Natanael
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      141 year ago

      They’ll try destruction of property charges