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The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

ACLU of Florida Media Office, (786) 363 - 2737  media@aclufl.org

ACLU of Florida Statement Applauding Committee Passage of Drone Regulation Bill

Today, the Florida Senate Committee on Criminal Justice unanimously voted in favor of Senate Bill 92, authored by Senator Joe Negron (R - District 32). SB 92 seeks to put needed controls on law enforcement's use of unmanned surveillance drones.

The following statement may be attributed to Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida:

TALLAHASSEE

Today, the Florida Senate Committee on Criminal Justice unanimously voted in favor of Senate Bill 92, authored by Senator Joe Negron (R - District 32). SB 92 seeks to put needed controls on law enforcement's use of unmanned surveillance drones.

The following statement may be attributed to Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida:

"We applaud Senator Negron for taking leadership on this critical issue, and the Senate Criminal Justice Committee for making this bill a priority for the first days of legislative committee meetings.

"This is the first piece of legislation voted out of committee this year, and the leadership we have seen on this issue could make our state the first in the nation to regulate the use of drones by local law enforcement.

"The ACLU has serious concerns about unregulated, warrantless use of unmanned aerial vehicle surveillance technology to collect information about individuals. The pace by which surveillance technology has evolved in recent years has so far outstripped the pace at which laws have adapted to protect individuals' privacy.

"Strict controls are needed to help guide law enforcement in using surveillance technology. Without those limits, we risk inching further into a society under constant and permanent surveillance.

The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

(212) 549-2666