American Civil Liberties Union
Staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project and a non-residential fellow with the Stanford Center for Internet and Society
PROFILE
Catherine Crump
Guest
FROM Catherine Crump
Which Way, L.A.?
Is America Ready for Unmanned Drones? Unmanned drones include Predators and Reapers able to carry missiles and 500-pound bombs. The new Switchblade weighs six pounds all by itself, fits into a soldier's rucksack, and can take out a rooftop sniper without destroying the building he stands on. Drones small enough to fly inside buildings will be available soon. Congress has ordered the FAA to develop new rules for the use of drones for civilian purposes inside the United States, anticipating that some 30,000 drones of all sizes will be using American airspace before 2020. In the meantime, the $6 billion drone industry has developed a voluntary Code of Conduct . What are the civilian applications? What are the risks? Can rules be developed quickly enough to keep up with a spreading technology?
To the Point
Is America Ready for Unmanned Drones? The Obama Administration has made unmanned, remotely-controlled drones famous — or infamous -- for the targeted killings of enemies overseas. Predators and Reapers are able to carry missiles and 500-pound bombs. The new Switchblade weighs six pounds all by itself, fits into a rucksack, and can take out a rooftop sniper without destroying the building he stands on. In the next few years, the FAA says, tens of thousands of drones -- some small enough to fly inside buildings -- will be flying within the borders of the US. In the meantime, the $6 billion drone industry has developed a voluntary Code of Conduct . What will they be used for? Should law enforcement install weapons on board? Will surveillance violate privacy rights? What about sharing air space with airplanes big and small? We look at the benefits and the risks of a $6 billion industry that's just beginning to grow.
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To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
Left, Right & Center
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.