The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) Monday published a report detailing the increased usage of drones by New York government agencies and called for reform and civilian protections. According to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, 200 drones manufactured by a company which enables human rights abuses have been registered to the government.

The report elaborates that drones can be equipped with biometric surveillance such as facial recognition, and police departments rarely disclose information about their use. New York Mayor Eric Adams has suggested combining drones with more surveillance technology, namely audio recorder technology ShotSpotter. The report highlighted that are no current laws restricting police departments use of drones and biometric surveillance.

NYCLU Executive Director Donna Liberman commented, “without public oversight and legislation to curtail drone use, the threat of constant police surveillance by drones equipped with invasive technologies will become our new normal.” NYCLU called for the passage of a proposed bill prohibiting drone surveillance of activities which fall under First Amendment protections. The bill outlines the threats which the current unregulated use of drones poses to the right to privacy, right to protest and the right to be free from “invasive and warrantless government surveillance.” The organization also recommends that search warrants be mandatory for drone use in police investigations.