Inspector General: Border Drone Program Expensive, Ineffective
The DHS Office of Inspector General has released a new report on the drone surveillance program operated on the US border. The Inspector General found that the government "has invested significant funds in a program that has not achieved the expected results, and it cannot demonstrate how much the program has improved border security." The report also found that Customs and Border Protection underestimated the cost of operations. The Inspector General recommends tabling any expansion of the drone surveillance program. In February 2013, EPIC petitioned the agency to suspend the border surveillance program pending the establishment of concrete privacy regulations. The petition followed an EPIC Freedom of Information Act request, which found that border drones carry advanced surveillance equipment that could intercept electronic communications and identify human targets on the ground. For more information, see EPIC: Domestic Drones and EPIC Spotlight on Surveillance: Drones - Eyes in the Sky.
January 6, 2015| Share:
