this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2026
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Privacy

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Across California, police departments are rapidly expanding "Drone as First Responder" programs, triggering intense public backlash over warrantless surveillance and corporate overreach.

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[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 41 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Time to take up skeet shooting.

[–] friend_of_satan@lemmy.world 12 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

Just be aware that shooting any aircraft out of the air is a felony, even if it's just an RC airplane. FAA rules are ridiculous and need to be modernized.

[–] dessalines@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 hours ago

This is probably fine then

Warrants required and No general searches!

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized"

[–] PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

While one could argue the efficacy of taking out drones with a shotgun, the reality is that if you shoot at ANY drone with a firearm you will have every police force that has jurisdiction chomping at the bit to charge you with a felony. Drones (for now) should be handled with collective passive action. The easiest method that is legal in most places is to tether balloons/kites up to the maximum allowed FCC air space (typically 400feet above ground). A neighborhood of homes all with their own tethered balloons basically creates a no fly zone for drones. And most importantly it's not a felony.

[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 3 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

They do have their place I would argue. I would much prefer cops fly a little drone to follow a car in a high speed chase than pay thousands of dollars for a helicopter. The suspect wouldn't even be able to tell if they lost it or not if flying high enough.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 hour ago

Your place is your mouth around a dirty boot.

[–] twoBrokenThumbs@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

I agree they have their place. The issue is the governance of that place.

The drones are stated to be connected to the same ALPR network which becomes as troublesome as the the ALPR controversy. The fact that the camera is not static and can be flown around makes it a higher threat to privacy in that regard.

The abuse of such technology could be catastrophic. A warrant wouldn't be needed to fly over and surveil a neighborhood if they were in pursuit of somebody else. It can absolutely be flown over and around your home without a judge approving it. That's an issue.