this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2023
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The New York City police department plans to pilot the unmanned aircrafts in response to complaints about large gatherings, including private events, over Labor Day weekend, officials announced Thursday.

“If a caller states there’s a large crowd, a large party in a backyard, we’re going to be utilizing our assets to go up and go check on the party,” Kaz Daughtry, the assistant NYPD Commissioner, said at a press conference.

The plan drew immediate backlash from privacy and civil liberties advocates, raising questions about whether such drone use violated existing laws for police surveillance.

“It’s a troubling announcement and it flies in the face of the POST Act,” said Daniel Schwarz, a privacy and technology strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union, referring to a 2020 city law that requires the NYPD to disclose its surveillance tactics. “Deploying drones in this way is a sci-fi inspired scenario.”

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[–] ShittyBeatlesFCPres 169 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is it illegal to have house parties in NYC? Why is the NYPD busting up keggers like campus police?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (7 children)

It becomes illegal when there are too many people there, or there is violence, underage drinking, drug usage, and if it's too loud, the attendees are parking in the street blocking traffic, fire risks all sorts of shit

[–] uis 35 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

They are not responding to complains, they are searching themselves.

EDIT: my eyes. They are responding. Still very wierd. Crowd itself is not a crime, article 20 of DoHR says so.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The article specifically says in response to complaints...

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[–] s38b35M5 27 points 1 year ago

Those sound like things they need a warrant to learn about in a place with a reasonable expectation of privacy.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Are they doing this in white, affluent communities?

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[–] Guy_Fieris_Hair 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It is illegal to have to many people at your own home? That's a new one.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Only in the context of like, fire safety. You can't have more people in a building than it is designed to safely hold.

Of course, cops use this safety regulation as an excuse to control people and be dicks...

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (3 children)

That's all stuff people can call the cops for, no need for surveillance.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (9 children)

So the cops and fuck with your backyard party if you smoke a joint?

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[–] qooqie 98 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ah, it wouldn’t be the police if they didn’t try to violate people’s rights before lawmakers can tell them no.

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[–] tabular 76 points 1 year ago

Oh no, not a large crowd on private property - this deservers police spying! /S

[–] pwalshj 68 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They totally won't use this to perv on girls sunning themselves on their private property. They have already been busted multiple times perving on girls walking in midtown but they would never do anything like that again and again and again.

[–] Dr_pepper_spray 34 points 1 year ago

So I've installed and operated PTZ cameras for multiple television shows and events, sometimes with junior operators - or just production assistants or other crew. These are in places where people know cameras are present. I can guarantee it doesn't take long for people at the camera control unit to learn they can zoom in on people's phones on set or follow girls around - and these are all professional people.

Cops with a drone that can zoom in on people unwittingly, in their back yards?! Oh, they are certainly going to do shit like this, or worse - they'll likely record for themselves.

[–] [email protected] 58 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I'm not from US - why is it forbidden to have a large group of people in the backyard?
As for the drones - just wow...

[–] RaoulDook 20 points 1 year ago

Any excuse to use surveillance cameras to spy on people will be used. It's not forbidden to have a party, but the shithead cops want to spy on people anyway just in case they might catch them breaking some laws.

There is also a nationwide program being implemented to feed the video from private security cameras into police surveillance systems. It's called FUSUS and they use equipment installed in private networks to upload the private security cameras' video to the police surveillance systems. Lots of people are signing on to this horrific program - businesses, schools, churches, community centers, etc. The police can use it to track people with video surveillance without a warrant. Security cameras anywhere you go could be potentially tapped into by government authorities to monitor you. It's already all over the USA and being rolled out in the UK now too.

Just as it is in the UK with their surveillance cameras everywhere, this is the future that George Orwell tried to warn us about.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's not forbidden. This is a huge overstep by the police but typical of American police, who are allowed to violate our civil rights with impunity.

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[–] [email protected] 55 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

we’re going to be utilizing our assets to go up and go check on the party

Still bitter that they were never invited to any parties in high school and college. Seriously though, they need to back the fuck up. We have an amendment that requires them to get a warrant to spy on us on our own property or in our own house. Civil liberties groups need to stop raising questions and sue the fuck out of the police, judges, Mayor, and legislature. I hope someone knocks those drones out of the air. This kind of shit is infuriating. And no this isn't a sci-fi scenario, this is a clear and present dystopia.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 year ago

Reading comments defending cops for launching drones to surveill people in their homes really boosts my morning faith in humanity.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago

Land of the not even slightly free.

[–] sturmblast 41 points 1 year ago

what a crazy abuse of power and resources fuck the police

[–] geekworking 40 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This all seems stupid.

If you have a party big and crazy enough to justify airborne surveillance, the police will be able to figure it out just by showing up at your door. No drones are needed.

That being said, NYC has been flying helicopters for decades, so really nothing new privacy wise other than the size of the aircraft and the fact that "drone" invokes fears that drive clicks.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Don't forget scale. Significantly more practical to have a couple dozen drones than helicopters

[–] BrownianMotion 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They would not launch a helicopter to confirm a large scale party.

But even still, so they use a drone and they do confirm a large scale party, then what? They have to deploy the police to the house anyhow. Isn't better to have police just out patrolling and visiting these complaints? Then at least they look like they are doing something for the community.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Drones can get closer without detection. Also there's a limit to helicopter use since they cause noise pollution.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Sorry what's the problem with a party?

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (12 children)

For people wanting to take down drones, I think a directed energy weapon would work. It uses a beam high frequency radio waves or microwaves to disable electronics. Since there's no projectile, it would be easier to use without getting caught.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Easy fix. Take a picture of the ground, using a drone. Then get a big marquee and have that picture painted on the marquee.

Your party is now invisible.

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[–] TheBlue22 25 points 1 year ago

Seems a great use of an anti drone gun

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (5 children)

There's a book I think everyone should read, and it's not Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

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[–] Smacks 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Is it illegal to blind drone cameras with lasers yet?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I wouldn't risk life in prison to find out, they might just call the drone a helicopter to arrest you

Edit: To be clear, fuck the police and their spy toys. I just don't wanna get caught doing something that will ruin my life, and I hope it doesn't happen to anyone else.

[–] obious 15 points 1 year ago

Yes, the FAA treats it as a serious violation.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

They'll try destruction of property charges

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago

Remember when bill of rights?

[–] MyFairJulia 16 points 1 year ago (7 children)

You know i'm not a fan of guns but this makes me think about buying an anti aircraft weapon...

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[–] Zengen 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I be establishing an anti drone firing squad in NYC. We will shoot down any law enforcement drones we find. Fuck the NYPD. fuck the mayor. If your drone flies over my property in NYC it will be shot lol.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

i hope they can be dazzled/jammed in a way that is not illegal. just have bright lamps pointing up or something

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Or slingshot it, then claim you thought it was a perv and not a cop drone because they have no discernable markings from so far up.

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[–] Dkarma 13 points 1 year ago

Use your own drone to say hi...

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