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Guest Post: Drones In America? They are Already Here...
Submitted by Mike Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is one of the most important organizations we have in America today. While most of the country lays fast asleep to the dangers of the encroaching surveillance state, the EFF is always vigilantly at work on the front lines. In their latest article, they show that military drones are already flying all over these United States and, using information received from a FOIA lawsuit they provide important details on what is flying and where. You may be shocked at some of their conclusions. From the EFF:
These records, received as a result of EFF’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), come from state and local law enforcement agencies, universities and—for the first time—three branches of the U.S. military: the Air Force, Marine Corps, and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).
The records show that the Air Force has been testing out a bunch of different drone types, from the smaller, hand-launched Raven, Puma and Wasp drones designed by Aerovironment in Southern California, to the much larger Predator and Reaper drones responsible for civilian and foreign military deaths abroad. The Marine Corps is also testing drones, though it chose to redact so much of the text from its records that we still don’t know much about its programs.
Perhaps the scariest is the technology carried by a Reaper drone the Air Force is flying near Lincoln, Nevada and in areas of California and Utah. This drone uses “Gorgon Stare” technology, which Wikipedia defines as “a spherical array of nine cameras attached to an aerial drone . . . capable of capturing motion imagery of an entire city.” This imagery “can then be analyzed by humans or an artificial intelligence, such as the Mind’s Eye project” being developed by DARPA. If true, this technology takes surveillance to a whole new level.
While LIDAR can be used to create high-resolution images of the earth’s surface, it is also used in high tech police speed guns—begging the question of whether drones will soon be used for minor traffic violations.
However, once again, the records do not show that the FAA had any concerns about drone flights’ impact on privacy and civil liberties. This is especially problematic when drone programs like Otter Tail’s appear on first glance to be benign but later turn out to support the same problematic law enforcement uses that EFF has been increasingly concerned about.
It’s been over a year and a half since we first filed our FOIA request with the FAA, and we’re still waiting for more than half of the agency’s drone records. This is unacceptable.
Like with any new technology, drones can be put to good use or to evil use. Just like nuclear power can harness energy or destroy humanity altogether, drones could do a lot of good, but the problem is that the government is clearly moving more and more towards a surveillance state so we must be extra careful. Stay vigilant.
Full article here.
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If I want drones, I turn on the TV.
If the pucker factor keeps up, I'm gonna get a charlie horse in my arse sphincter.
Has Gorgon Stare been fixed? This says it has problems. Note that I do not assert the truth or falsity of media reports.
Is Canada droning its citizens, too? Or is the USofA doing it for them on a contract basis? Or what?
Nah,
Canadians are to boring to spy on.
I love Canadian Jokes - and also Canadians.
Drones? I got a drone. Mine doesn't have missles or any other peace officer attachments, but it has an HD camera and telemetry. I rekon it could mess up the best of intentions or views.
http://youtu.be/zgUoR_7gzzM
Penny stock company WSGI just released Q3 stating they have their first sales coming this year and more to come 2013. Future airships will hover at 65,000 feet for months on end.
Don't say I didn't give you anything for Christmas.
What, like in Blade Runner? Maybe they'll make the blimps? A new life awaits you in the Offworld Colonies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZNzz4SaTYk
What like the fucking Hindenberg did? They've been talking shit about Zepplins since the 1900's. Too expensive and slow to operate, too easy for nutters to shoot down.
wonder when they will have the technology to "sniff" out physical gold & silver?
Apparently they can alrady sniff out smells like marajuana groves.
*smells his PMs*
Hmm... Doesn't smell like anything, to me. But the stack of $20s I keep lying around smells like 1,000 asscracks.
To be sniffable something has to have some chemical components which sublimate (go from solid to gas) over time or has to react with existing components in the environment air and change them. You'll notice that most things that have a smell slowly loose their properties over time (as the stock of the chemicals or the chemical reaction that cause the smell exhausts).
If either gold or silver sublimated, then the existing stocks would be slowly shrinking (if mass is released into the air, then it's lost from the solid) and/or "spoiling". That doesn't seem to happen. As for reactions with components in the air, only silver is reactive enough to do it (that's how silver oxidates) and even that stops as soon as a layer of silver oxide forms over the silver.
Even if they do release some smell, it starts already miniscule and its intensity decreases with the cube of the distance (as the smell dilutes in the air in a 3D sphere) so it wouldn't go far.
So I wouldn't worry about PM sniffer drones.
I work for a fed resource mgmt agency and received an email today about a training class on operating drones. I thought to myself, "why in the heck do we need drones? To watch ducks?" Maybe the tin foil is a little too tight, but I see no good reason why my agency needs to be using drones.
Plus who's gonna pay for them when we haven't had a budget in 5 yrs and are supposed to operate on 80% of last year's funding?
Do your country a solid and accidentally crash one into a tree.
Maybe you can help out by passing on some of the info, with a little more discretion than Manning. Then, I think the #1 Anonymous hit list should be every government controlled drone, red-light camera, face detection, etc.
Wouldn't it be nice to see these drones falling out of the skies? How about the red light cameras reprogrammed in each area to only give tickets to people in government. License plate checks coupled with the cameras used to send $100 fines to county judges, mayors, etc. (even when they don't run the lights - I mean every time they cross any intersection with one of these cameras).
Eventually, a self-destruct mechanism must be built into each device. I know the Chinese must have built back doors into all the tech they've sent us - we just need to find them. Nobody gets hurt and we don't get this Big Brother shit anymore.
Backdoors are for nerds. The only reason they want/need the drones on planes is that any idiot with a ladder and can of paint can blind all the cameras.
+1
If I see one of these things flying over my property, it's coming down.
I doubt these will be well-received here in this part of Texas. Likely to turn the whole state into a hard-hat zone until they quit flying.
"Simpson's Bad Cops"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbh6My_bhnU
*Insert drones*
If Bernanke uses them drop cash on Main Street, that's the good use.
The truth about the dollar:
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/here-how-your-new-soon-be-worthless-money-will-look#comment-311176
Were you super stoned when you wrote that?
Absolutely.
Wait a minute.
I can't find my drink.
Isn't that more important?
Remember, as many who read ZH have probably served in the military (Air Force myself), our oath of service is for the safety and security of the United States and NOT explicitly the safety and security of US citizens.
"I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
Just a reminder.
as far as i'm concerned the truly relevant part of that oath ends with the word "constitution," and when you come down to brass tacks the greatest threat to the republic is the federal government.
i'm from a family with lots of military ties and i know what side my folks are going to come down on, can't speak for anyone else's
There is no expiration on our Oath, either.
I don't think people truly realize where this is headed. In all of human history the masses could overwhelm the elite by shear numbers. They have always been forced to pay 10% to steal from the other 90% for them. Someone always had to get their hands dirty though. They always had to throw a bone to someone.
Not anymore.
Now the elite are going to be able to oppress remotely using machines. They don't need that 10% anymore. Their entourage will be an advance fleet of drones , clearing the path to wherever they would like to go... lest the get the stink of the commoner on them.
Big brother tyranny is here! I never thought I'd see the day! And most Americans are so drunk on entitlement that they are oblivious to their own bondage!
The shit-for-brains governor of Virginia is one of the biggest cheerleaders for domestic drones... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_McDonnell
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/bob-mcdonnell...
There will be a special place on the gallows for treasonous scum like him when the time comes.
Drone technology is not the sole property of the govt.. Private parties including terrorists can develop and deploy drones to take out any target of choice right here in River City. Imagine the possibilities.
drones, gated and guarded communities, armored cars, personal security detail... this is the percolating boom industry as society accelerates toward the end goal of an indisputable division between the 'haves' and 'have nots'. the pendulum will proven to have swung too far when people, on their way to enjoy the luxuries of life, are repulsed by and forced to step over the starving bodies of the 'have nots' rotting in the streets.
Here is a little thought experiment. We know the American government is equipping itself with drone capability and granting itself permission to assassinate its own citizens, and we know they would not acquire these capabilities if they did not intend to use them. So we know that at some point in the future drones will be used to assassinate Americans. Now think about the WikiLeaks video of the Iraqi reporter being killed by a circling helicopter. We know that at least some of the original targets were innocent, and we know that anyone that came to their aid was also targeted by the helicopter crew. Similarly innocent Americans will be targeted by drones of the future, and we must assume that anyone that comes to their aid will be similarly targeted as well. This is one of those Matthew McConaughey "imagine she's white" moments where Americans must prepare themselves to live through this. They must be ready to watch someone they know, a neighbor, a friend, a relative, a spouse, a child of theirs lie dying in the street and just turn and walk away. When this happens it will be too dangerous to help the wounded whether they are innocent or not. Maybe the American government will be kind enough to laze the area from above after the attack so that uninvolved citizens will not mistakenly enter the target zone and risk injury. Just a thought.
Lets determine if there are any UFOs in the area of the GREAT SOUTHWEST first. Aliens should be the first priority. Give me a break man.
Paranoia strikes deep; into your heart it will creep. It starts when your always afraid. Do not be afraid. Nothing to worry about. Dust to Dust.
Everybody has a haircut now
Not that I'm ever off topic but dag nabit they legalized pot in Washington State. I quit drugs and alcohol too soon.
On the other hand, at least the Iranians will know everything that happens on US soil.
It's OK. After all, the done must come fom a MAKER not a TAKER. Therefore it's only a threat to lazy moochers. I learned that on ZH.
Orville and Wilbur Wright would be so proud of their descendants.
Totalitarians love aerial photography, just not when you do it.
http://diydrones.com/
What is a well organized militia nowadays without a drone squad? Infrared signatures on a drone's crosshairs.
Reading this stuff makes you wonder if America has "won" the war on terrorism by slowly shifiting towards a totalitarian state.....Where are the George Orwell's of our time.....
Amerikan women told thier men to get in touch with their feelings and then the pussification began.
Mike Tyson on 'The View' right now.
BREAKING NEWS
7.3 quake strikes Tokyo
Tsunami warning issued in southeastern Japan as powerful 7.3 quake strikes Tokyo
The Japanese government has issued a tsunami warning for the country’s southeast after a strong 7.3-magnitude quake shook Tokyo. Electricity companies reported no change in radiation levels in the ravaged Fukushima nuclear plant following the tremor.
http://rt.com/news/japan-tsunami-miyagi-quake-515/
--
One minute ago
Photo: Location of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan. (US Geological Survey)
Map: JapanA tsunami alert has been issued following a powerful earthquake off the east coast of Japan.
The US Geological Survey has reported the quake to be a magnitude of 7.4 at a depth of 33 kilometres, 333km from Sendai.
A warning for a one-metre tsunami was issued for the coast of Miyagi prefecture in north-eastern Japan.
People are being urged to move to higher ground.
Initial reports put the epicentre near to that of the March 11, 2011 quake that sparked a devastating tsunami.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says there is no risk of a Pacific-wide tsunami from the quake.
--Looks too far out to sea to be a big event in Tokyo.
BTW, that 33km depth is the depth the seismic classification system automatically assigns to all quakes for which the depth is actually unknown. Given it is on the oceanward side of the trench, and is in oceanic crust, it's likely to be a shallow quake, much closer to the surface than 33km.
"Electricity companies reported no change in radiation levels in the ravaged Fukushima nuclear plant following the tremor."
I know I must be boring repeating this over and over again but, Fukushima nuclear disaster is made up, fake, it did not happened, faux, fonny etc.
We are already well into a surveillance state. Step outside your home, and you will soon be on someone's screen. Cameras are going up EVERYWHERE. The sleepy little town I live in even has them at every traffic light! Half of the population are retirees, so I can't imagine the perceived threat to the state. Still, it doesn't matter, the cameras are there. Get on the Interstate a few miles up the road, there are more right there on both on and off ramps. Talk about paranoid. I dread the coming state of affairs for my children {grown} and grandchildren. I am still amazed at how little outcry there is over this. I flip them the bird everytime I pass one. I guess they are always on the lookout for the white Towncar!
*
Yes, while attending the Jimmy Eat World concert at Coachella 2011, a Drone spied on us. Really...
Yes, while attending the Jimmy Eat World concert at Coachella, a Drone spied on us. Really...
I did not mean to add my comment twice... So to add, the drone had a strange feeling to it. You could tell the drone was not lovingly taking pictures of us all. And why? Some Jimmy Eat World rebellion sometime in the future? Ridiculous. Reminded me of how afraid they were of 1969 Woodstock. Later in the 70's everyone wore their hair longer..
Great corporations exist only because they are created and safeguarded by our institutions; and it is therefore our right and our duty to see that they work in harmony with those institutions.
–Theodore Roosevelt, First Annual Message to Congress, 1901
The Pussification of Amerika is well underway.
It is our thoughts that dictate the future.
Lots of folks on this site boast about their code writing ability. Well, there are some Iranian code writers who have been letting their work speak for itself, though it is likely they were tutored by Chinese code writers who needed a front man to get hands on the toy. In any event, until one of them writes "Drone Hacking for Dummies", the task at hand falls on your shoulders. Imagine the satisfaction of commandeering one of those things and landing it in Jamie's driveway, or getting viral-quality video of a certain short, pointy-eared and unctuous public servant-cum-conduit-of-public money to Goldman Sachs tax dodger sitting on the throne reading Hustler! Is that not.....incentive? Can we not cobble together an Ansari X-prize for doing something in the real public interest?
Oval Orifice
Sir! (scared look)
What is it, minion?
You know those drones you had me send out to blow up our own USA Citizens?
Yes. Has it been done?
Nossir! They've hacked the drones! They're headed straight for us!
(to be continued)
Traffic violations? I can not wait to cross examine one of these drones on the witness stand.
They talk about as much as the red light cameras.
"Gorgon Stare” technology"
Now that's a creepy sounding name for something evil!
One of the great founders of the United States has a message to these people who think they are "protecting" the citizens.
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Franklin's Contributions to the Conference on February 17 (III) Fri, Feb 17, 1775Lt Lt come quick, look at this asshole he is going 150 mph and look there is a deadhead sticker on the bumper, can I waste him. With an offical okay the hellfire took out the deadhead making America a safer place.
drone crash in Nevada
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-nevada-dronebre8b51lv-2...
I gave a bunch of links (including the EFF one) last night: here. If you have some Linux using friends, look here: it's a PoC of a wirelessly transmitted counter-drone virus. You can also alter it to slave them into your own bot-net, but that'd be naughty. Note: Given the flying altitude of the majority of military drones, this is unlikely to be useful (although Iran seems to have cracked it).
Please also note that aerial drones have some very legitimate usages esp. for Forestry & Geological mapping businesses.
Taking pot-shots at these is just harming commerce; I'd suggest that ensuring that all Police drones in the USA transmit an ID code at all times, allowing their detection would be good policy, but that'd probably be far too sensible. Most likely, they'll get roped into the "War on Drugs", the Cartels will respond with their own weaponised ones, and it'll descend into something from The Diamond Age.
When you see the next InfoWars headline screaming "WE SAW US A DRONE OVER THAT THERE HILL, FEMA FEMA FEMA", just think a little (unless you have a vast ganja plantation out in the woods, then you're probably right to worry). You're not going to see the military ones. Nor are you going to see the next generation of spy tech.
Bonus round: map of all permits for drone usage, USA [April 2012, include "that aren't classified" of course] - those Universities are doing research, fyi. Your key target area is DHS-CBP btw, given their record of being assholes.
it's going to happen - there's too much money to be made and the defense contractor's lobbyists have already infiltrated Federal, State and local agencies
What bothers me is they never seem to catch any actual criminals. If their surveilance and crime detection was all it was cracked up to be, crime should be a thing of the past.
Unless they have a different definition of criminals than we do.