John Villasenor has written several articles on the issues surrounding the introduction of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace and has espoused the distinction between recreational model aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles dubbed as “drones” by the national media. John is a professor at UCLA and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC. John’s work focuses on the nature and growing impact of digital information. He is particularly interested in the intersection of digital technology with public policy and the law. You can follow John on Twitter (@johndvillasenor).
Though the constitutionality of aerial surveillance is by no means a new issue, the impending introduction of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) into the national airspace substantially decreases the cost and increases the ability to collect very detailed imagery and electronic data… As such, the likelihood that the use of UAS will become a pervasive means of surveillance increases significantly.
Read John’s article on privacy and the Fourth Amendment in Forbes, September 20, 2012…
Will “Drones” Outflank the Fourth Amendment?
Rich Hanson
AMA Government and Regulatory Affairs