Unmanned Drones are being Launched from Locations in 20 States to Spy on You

[Swiper]

Is there a drone in your neighbourhood? Rise of spy planes exposed after FAA is forced to reveal 63 launch sites across U.S.
Unmanned spy planes are being launched from locations in 20 states and owners include the military and universities
By JULIAN GAVAGHAN
PUBLISHED: 05:15 EST, 24 April 2012 | UPDATED: 07:39 EST, 24 April 2012

There are at least 63 active drone sites around the U.S, federal authorities have been forced to reveal following a landmark Freedom of Information lawsuit.
The unmanned planes – some of which may have been designed to kill terror suspects – are being launched from locations in 20 states.
Most of the active drones are deployed from military installations, enforcement agencies and border patrol teams, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.

But, astonishingly, 19 universities and colleges are also registered as owners of what are officially known as unmanned aerial vehicles.
It is thought that many of institutions, which include Cornell, the University of Colorado, Georgia Tech, and Eastern Gateway Community College, are developing drone technology.

There are also 21 mainstream manufactures, such as General Atomics, who are registered to use drones domestically.
As well as active locations, the FAA also revealed 16 sites where licences to use spy planes have expired and four where authorisations have been disapproved, such as Otter Tail County, Minnesota.

The authority revealed the information after a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Its website hosts an interactive map that allows the user to zoom in to the area around where they live to see if any sites are nearby.
However, the FAA is yet to reveal what kinds of drones might be based at any of these locations.
The agency says it will release this data later.
Most of the drones are likely to be small craft, such as the Draganflyer X8, which can carry a payload of only 2.2lb.
Police, border patrols and environmental agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), could use for them effectively.
While few would object to vast open areas being monitored for wildfires, there are fears of privacy violations if drones are used to spy over cities.

Other drones – likely to be operated only by the armed forces – might include the MQ-9 Reaper and the MQ-1 Predator, which was used to kill American Al Qaeda boss Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen last September.
The FAA released two lists of public and private entities that have applied for authorisations to fly drones domestically.
Certificates of Authorizations (COAs), issued to public entities like police departments, are active in 42 locations, expired in 16 and disapproved in four.
Special Airworthiness Certificates (SACs), issued to private drone manufacturers, are active in 21 locations and not active in 17.
Among the other unanswered questions, however, are is exactly how many drones each registered user owns.

The FAA has confirmed that there were about 300 active COAs and that the agency has issued about 700-750 authorizations since the program began in 2006.
But this information does not reveal how many are owned, for example, by Miami Dade Police Department.
While the use of drones in the U.S. is little known, American operations overseas have been well documented.
As well as high-profile terrorists, campaigners claim hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed in the border regions of Pakistan, where they are most active.

SO WHICH PUBLIC ENTITIES ARE REGISTERED OWNERS OF DRONES? FULL LIST REVEALED HERE
U.S. Air Force Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
Arlington Police Department Mississippi State University
U.S. Army U.S. Navy
City of Herington, Kansas New Mexico Tech
City of North Little Rock, AR Police Department Ogden Police Department
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Ohio University
DHS (Department of Homeland Security) / CBP (Customs and Border Protection) Orange County Sheriff's Office
DHS (Department of Homeland Security) / Science and Technology Polk County Sheriff's Office
DOE (Department of Energy) - Idaho National Laboratory Seattle Police Dept
Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
Department of the Interior - National Business Center/Aviation Management Directorate Texas A&M University - TEES
Eastern Gateway Community College University of Alaska Fairbanks
Texas State University University of Colorado
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) University of Connecticut
Gadsden Police Department
Georgia Tech Research Institute University of Florida
Kansas State University University of North Dakota

USMC (United States Marine Corps)
Mesa County Sheriff's Office
Miami-Dade Police Department Utah State University
Middle Tennessee State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
New Mexico State University Physical Sciences Laboratory (NMSU-PSL) Washington State Department of Transportation
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...sites-U-S.html

[HanSoLo]

Not just America, but North America is going hell in a handbag. Canada as well are seeing our freedoms vanish one by one........ At the Polar summit conference in Montreal this week, all Canadian scientists will be monitored by "public relations" people(government monitors), wether they want them or not.

[Hit-Girl]

Ok, you guys let me know when the Drones fly over your homes.

[Rackyourweights]

This stuff makes me sick, tyranny is rampant in this country.....this country needs Ron Paul as president, if he's not elected I'll have the bumper sticker on my car that says don't blame me, I voted for Ron Paul

[GREENMACHINE23]

Freedom of speech is being infriged upon on a daily basis. Better get what you need to get off your chest while you still can.