California weighs outlawing warrantless drone surveillance

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/30/us-usa-california-drones-idUSBREA0T04C20140130

California weighs outlawing warrantless drone surveillance
By Sharon Bernstein
SACRAMENTO, California | Wed Jan 29, 2014 8:35pm EST

(Reuters) - Using drones to spy on Californians without a warrant could soon be outlawed under a bill making its way through the state legislature, tapping into public concern about unwarranted government intrusion into private lives.

The bill, which passed the state assembly 59-5 on Wednesday with bipartisan support, would require police, fire and other investigative agencies to obtain a judge's approval before using a drone to collect information about ordinary citizens.

The measure comes even as California tries to entice companies to make and develop unmanned aircraft in the most populous U.S. state, where unemployment still lags the rest of the nation.

"While we as a legislature and as a state try to attract the jobs in aviation, we also have to balance the growing concern about unmanned vehicles," the bill's sponsor, Republican Jeff Gorell, told Reuters.

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1. SOMEBODY has to put a brake on all this "Change"!