Mulrine 13 Anna Mulrine, Staff writer March 13, 2013 Christian Science Monitor Drones over America: public safety benefit or 'creepy' privacy threat? http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2013/0313/Drones-over-America-public-safety-benefit-or-creepy-privacy-threat
The US Border Patrol has the country's largest fleet of UAVs for domestic surveillance, including nine Predator drones that patrol regions like the Rio Grande, searching for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. Unlike the missile-firing Predators used by the Central Intelligence Agency to hunt Al Qaeda operatives and their allies, the domestic version of the aircraft – say, those used by the border patrol – is more typically equipped with night-vision technology and long-range cameras that can read license plates. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also complain that these drones have see-through imaging technology similar to those used in airports, as well as facial recognition software tied to federal databases.
