Would Require Disclosure Of Where The Aircraft Are To Be Flown

A directive that would require the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department, and other federal agencies to disclose where they intend to operate UAVs is being prepared by the White House, according to a report in the Washington Post.

The presidential executive order would also force federal agencies to disclose the size and surveillance capabilities of their UAV fleets that operate in U.S. airspace. It would not require that information about overseas intelligence operations be disclosed.

News of the impending executive order was praised by privacy advocates, who said disclosure of such information is "long overdue."

The Post reports that law enforcement and military agencies would not have to disclose any information about sensitive operations, but would have to reveal what steps they are taking to safeguard the growing amount of video and still images being collected by the aircraft.

The White House says the executive order is intended as a way to handle concerns about the projected surge in UAV use in the United States over the next several years.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.whitehouse.gov