CNET: California bill would ban police drone spying without warrant

CNET: California bill would ban police drone spying without warrant by Daniel Terdiman:

The bill, which is now on the governor’s desk, pits privacy advocates against law enforcement interests in managing the emerging technology.

Drones may seem like a dream for law enforcement agencies wanting to put cameras in the sky for easy airborne surveillance, but a bill that sailed through the California legislature seeks to require a warrant for all but the most urgent spying.

Introduced by Republican Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, the would-be law, known as the Unmanned Aircraft Systems bill, easily passed both houses of California’s Democratic-majority legislature late last month. It is now awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature. Brown has until the end of September to make a decision.

Although the bill addresses and permits many non-law enforcement uses by government agencies of drones — which it refers to formally as “civil unmanned aircraft systems” — the heart of the proposed law is geared toward ensuring that police obtain court-issued warrants before deploying the flying devices for most surveillance.