Use of Drones for Domestic Surveillance Raises Concerns

I spy an eye in the sky

A proposal to form a special court to review President Barack Obama's use of unmanned aircraft gets high-level support from former Defense Secretary Robert Gates. He says he understands lawmakers worries over using drones to target al-Qaeda operatives and allies. But drones can be used for more than military maneuvers to fight terrorists abroad. Now police, the weather service and even private businesses are exploring the use of drones right here in the United States. But could these "eyes in the sky" see more than they're supposed to?

A Navy drone—which cost more than $170 million—crashed last year during a test flight on Maryland's Eastern Shore. For many, it was the first time they'd even heard that powerful aircraft with no one in the cockpits were flying above us from the Atlantic coastline to I-95 to neighborhoods across the state.