On The Front Lines
The Rutherford Institute Warns Gov. McDonnell Against Using Drones in Virginia, Cites Threats to Safety, Privacy & Civil Liberties
RICHMOND, Va. — In a letter to Bob McDonnell, John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, is warning the Virginia Governor against rushing to sanction the use of drones—unmanned aerial vehicles—in the Commonwealth. Whitehead’s letter comes in response to remarks made by McDonnell in a recent radio interview in which he observed that the domestic use of drones is “great” and “the right thing to do” for the same reasons they are so effective in a “battlefield” environment, because they are economical, efficient, and could keep police officers safe. Pointing out that economy, efficiency, and the security of law enforcement officials do not trump the rights of American citizens, Whitehead is calling on the governor to establish a commission to study the use of drones domestically and their impact on the safety and privacy of Virginians.
The Rutherford Institute’s letter to Governor McDonnell is available here.
“America is not a battlefield, and the citizens of this nation are not insurgents in need of vanquishing,” said Whitehead. “What this Commonwealth needs are government leaders who understand that their primary duty is protecting the constitutional rights of its citizens. Without robust safeguards for the privacy and security of citizens, especially to protect against emerging technologies such as drones, Americans will find themselves operating under a new paradigm marked by round-the-clock surveillance and with little hope of real privacy.”
Drone technology is rapidly advancing and spreading across the United States, posing a threat to the civil liberties, safety, and privacy of all Americans. The most recent Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama this year, calls for the mass implementation of drone technology in America’s skies by 2015. Most recently, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell voiced his support for the use of drone technology by police agencies in Virginia, citing their widespread use by the American military in countries such as Afghanistan. While noting that drones will undoubtedly be put to some legitimate uses, such as helping to spot wildfires and carrying out search-and-rescue missions, Whitehead warns that their “beneficence” is a double-edged sword which, without proper safeguards, rules, and regulations, will lead to law enforcement agencies finding a whole host of clever and innovative ways to use drones to invade Americans’ daily lives. Noting the potential for the Governor and his colleagues in the General Assembly to provide proper safeguards to Virginians’ safety and privacy, Whitehead is encouraging the governor to form a commission to study their impact on the civil liberties of all residents of Virginia. The Rutherford Institute has been particularly vocal in recent years in warning against the unprecedented privacy and civil liberties threats posed by allowing drones to take to the skies domestically. “Unfortunately,” said Whitehead, “these aerial, robotic threats to privacy and security are being unleashed on the American populace before any real protocols to protect our privacy rights have been put in place and in such a way as to completely alter the landscape of our lives and our freedoms.”
