Want to avoid invasive drone surveillance? In one minute, I’ll share a few steps you can take to protect your privacy.
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See all the police surveillance tools used in your city
Over a million hobby drones are registered in the U.S. You may never know when you’re being watched. Check out my guide to avoiding drone surveillance. We wrote this after one hovered over my pool while I was swimming.
Have you ever stayed in an Airbnb? Hosts sometimes spy on their guests with hidden cameras. Yes, that happened to me, too. Use these tricks to catch them in the act.
Police departments are stepping up their surveillance, adding drones to their tech collection. How closely does your local department monitor you? Here’s a searchable website you can use to see.
Big Brother is watching
Atlas of Surveillance is a searchable database project from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It shows which surveillance technologies — such as drones, automated license plate readers, and facial recognition — are used by law enforcement agencies across the U.S.
The pilot program began as a collaboration between the EFF and the University of Nevada’s Reno Reynolds School of Journalism in 2019.
The information comes from public records, crowdsourcing, data journalism, news stories, social media posts, press releases, and volunteer assistance. As of November 2022, the Atlas of Surveillance had 10,000 data points, with at least partial data on 5,500 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states, plus most territories and districts.
The Atlas of Surveillance site says its information is only as good as the source and that government agencies can withhold information. Plus, there’s always the chance of misinterpretation.
While it’s impossible to fact-check every data point, each one is reviewed by multiple journalism students and staff. Let’s have a closer look at what it shows.
Types of surveillance in use around the country
Does a camera on every street corner make you nervous? Do you worry that your face is constantly being scanned against a database of who-knows-who? Some people don’t mind it, and others are bothered by it.
Protect your privacy: A guide to avoiding drone surveillance
I share a ton of tips to protect your privacy online. Do this quick 30-second check to keep your Google and Facebook accounts safe if you haven’t yet.
What about when you leave your home? Just about everywhere you go, you’re being watched.
3 days in flight
For the ULTRA Air Force drone. Short for Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft, the ULTRA has an 80-foot wingspan, can carry hundreds of pounds and fly twice as long as similar military drones. The Air Force will spend $35 million in 2025 to build four more. The age of drone surveillance is just beginning.