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Drones At Home: Domestic Drone Legislation -- A Survey, Analysis And Framework, Colonel Dawn M.K. Zoldi

University of Miami National Security & Armed Conflict Law Review

Can the government employ drones domestically without running roughshod over personal privacy? In an effort to preemptively rein in potential government overreach, most states have proposed legislation that restricts or forbids government drone use. The intent is to prevent drone use for warrantless information and evidence collection. Ironically, many of these proposals will have the opposite affect intended. State-­‐by-­‐state drone legislation may lead to consequences such as the erosion of Fourth Amendment jurisprudential principles, losses of life and property, procedural windfalls to criminals, and deleterious effects on the military.

Lawmakers should take a nuanced approach to government drone use rather …