Tagged: Drone

The Tennessee House has passed a bill banning most warrantless surveillance by unmanned drones, but added a last-minute exemption for events featuring large crowds.

The chamber voted 91-0 Thursday in favor of the bill sponsored by Republican Rep. James "Micah" Van Huss, who is a former Marine with experience piloting drones.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., proposed legislation Tuesday that would forbid the federal government from using aerial drones to watch citizens without a warrant.

The bill is called the "Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act" and it is aimed at addressing growing privacy concerns over drone use in the country. Earlier this week, an unmanned Navy surveillance drone crashed into Chesapeake Bay and has raised several questions about its domestic usage.

Paul says the government should have restrictions to use drones on citizens, except to patrol national borders, when drones are needed to prevent "imminent danger to life," or when there are risks of a terrorist attack.

"Like other tools used to collect information in law enforcement, in order to use drones a warrant needs to be issued," he says. "Americans going about their everyday lives should not be treated like criminals or terrorists and have their rights infringed upon by military tactics."