Albany Government Law Review

In this article I examine a policy debate over whether and how to regulate one surveillance technology—unmanned aircraft. The terms unmanned aircraft, also called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or drones, refer to any kind of aircraft that operate without a pilot on board. The concept is not new—unmanned aircrafts, defined broadly, have existed for about as long as manned aircraft. However the pace of change of technologies that enable unmanned aircraft are accelerating rapidly.Already used overseas and in limited numbers in the United States, it is becoming increasingly obvious that unmanned aircraft are going to be a significant presence in American airspace. They are likely to perform many kinds of tasks, including tasks related to law enforcement.