Troubling Legislation Would Allow Police to use Drones to Monitor Protests
The American Civil Liberties Union has been sounding the alarm about a bill in the Illinois legislature that would allow law enforcement to use drones to monitor protests in Chicago. The bill would allow drones to hover over crowds, take photos, video, and audio recordings, and possibly use facial recognition software to identify people in the streets. “Given Chicago’s history of surveillance against protesters and social justice advocates – including by the notorious Red Squad — the Chicago police should not be able to use this new, powerful tool to monitor protesters near silently and from above,” Karen Sheley, director of the ACLU Police Practices Project in a press release. Chicago already has one of the largest surveillance networks in the country, with more than 27,000 cameras - both public and private - networked together. Legislation has already cleared both House and Senate committees. (Sun-Times)