The EFF reports that more than 1,000 U.S. public safety agencies have secured FAA waivers enabling automated drone flights, clearing the way for drone-as-first-responder programs after the approval process was streamlined in April 2025. More waivers were granted in under a year than in the prior seven years combined. The trend points toward autonomous, AI-driven aerial surveillance that can gather data on residents in places officers on patrol wouldn't normally reach.
Read the full story at EFF Deeplinks