In the memo obtained by WIRED, DHS appeared less confident about its ability to detect threatening drones. The document, which authorities were asked not to make public, states that “tactics and technologies aimed at evading counter-UAS capabilities are circulated and sold online with little or no regulation.” In fact, the memo said, the ability of police to track errant drones is hampered by a range of developing technologies, including “automated flight, command and control.” 5G control, jamming protection technology, distributed technology and software that disables geo-fencing restrictions.”
The New Jersey mystery and similar phenomena in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, among other states, have highlighted the ongoing efforts of state and federal lawmakers to expand the reach of government with anti-UAS technology. Speaking to reporters via Zoom on Saturday, a DHS official said the agency is urging Congress to “expand and expand existing counter-drone authorities” and ensure “political State and local authorities are also given the tools they need to respond to such threats. ”
Currently, only a few federal agencies — including DHS and the Departments of Energy, Justice and Defense — are legally allowed to shoot down drones in US airspace.
Property of the People CEO Ryan Shapiro said the August memo states that DHS is making a steady effort to acquire new technologies and legal privileges for law enforcement. But, he said, any impact on Americans’ civil liberties should not be justified by pointing to a “vague, ill-conceived threat.”
While terms like “violent extremists” evoke images of neo-Nazis and domestic terrorists hoping to incite a second civil war in the United States, Shapiro says the government has also deceptively applied such labels to help weaken animal rights groups. at the request of the group. Activists have relied heavily on drones over the past decade to help, he said Collect evidence of cruelty on factory farms—where secret recording has been criminalized under so-called “ag-gag” laws.
During Saturday’s briefing, FBI officials said authorities received about 5,000 drone tips related to sightings on the East Coast, ultimately generating about 100 possible leads. They said most reports were consistent with misidentified flights landing and taking off from major airports in the region.
While the FBI works to allay concerns stemming from recent sightings, the agency also urged Americans not to completely dismiss the idea that rogue drones pose a threat. pose a serious threat. “We all know that in reality, criminals violate the law [drones] to support their actions,” one official said, adding that, to the contrary, recent widespread sightings have been largely harmless.
In a statement to WIRED, a DHS spokesperson said the agency is continuing to “advise federal, state and local partners to remain vigilant against potential threats and encourage the public to report any suspicious activity to local authorities.”
