Analyst's note:  Absolutely think you'd like to know what is coming our way and ask yourself the question, "What is our federal gov't getting ready for?"  "Just because they technically can" is not a good enough reason to do this.  Certainly NOT on such a grand scale.  Apparently companies and private detectives are also planning in joining the fun ... and we currently think TSA is invasive.  How are to know the drone does not belong to a drug cartel?

"Dozens of organizations concerned about a cataclysmic loss of privacy for Americans are petitioning the federal government to address that issue as thousands – maybe even tens of thousands – of drones are expected to be put into the air over the U.S. in coming years.

“Drones greatly increase the capacity for domestic surveillance. Gigapixel cameras used to outfit drones are among the highest definition cameras available, and can ‘provide real-time video streams at a rate of 10 frames a second.’ On some drones, operators can track up to 65 different targets across a distance of 65 square miles. Drones may also carry infrared cameras, heat sensors, GPS, sensors that detect movement, and automated license plate readers,” warns the letter sent to Michael Huerta, the acting administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

That organization has been assigned by Congress to develop rules over dispatching drones over the heads of consumers all across America.

The letter was signed by officials with the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the World Privacy Forum, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Patient Privacy Rights, Liberty Coalition, Government Accountability Project, Demand Progress, Cyber Privacy Project, Center for National Security Studies, Bill of Rights Defense Committee and dozens of other groups and individuals.

[....] “Drones are designed to undertake constant, persistent surveillance to a degree that former methods of aerial surveillance were unable to achieve,” the petition said. “With special capabilities and enhanced equipment, drones are able to conduct far more detailed surveillance, obtaining high-resolution pictures and video, peering inside high-level windows, and through solid barriers, such as fences, trees, and even walls.”

The petition calls for a notice and comment period on the new invasion of privacy.

EPIC reported the drones can fly high enough that people are not able to see them, so that surveillance is done without the knowledge of the target.

While the U.S. Supreme Court says individuals generally do not have a Fourth Amendment right regarding aerial surveillance, the technology is causing some to rethink the standards.

“In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled in Kyllo v. U.S. that the use of a device that is not in ‘general public use’ is a search even if it does not physically invade the home. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled in U.S. v. Jones that the attachment of a GPS device to a car with the intent of gathering information was a ‘search’ under the Fourth Amendment.”