Bill description: HB 539 would allow the state government expanded authority to surveil with drones.

Rating: -1

Does it violate the spirit or the letter of either the US Constitution or the Idaho Constitution? Examples include restrictions on speech, public assembly, the press, privacy, private property, or firearms. Conversely, does it restore or uphold the protections guaranteed in the US Constitution or the Idaho Constitution? 


HB 539 would violate individuals’ right to privacy. This bill would allow state agencies, individuals, and entities to use unmanned aerial vehicles or drones for surveillance without consent or a warrant whenever it is deemed in the “public safety.” Thus, HB 539 would allow the expanded use of drones without consent or a warrant as the law currently allows their use  in “emergency response for safety.”

HB 539 would also allow state agencies, individuals, or other private entities to use drones and unmanned aerial vehicles to photograph and record individuals in order to publicly disseminate their image or recording.

(-1)