FBI Admits To Using Surveillance Drones In The US

With the controversy surrounding Edward Snowden's NSA leaks still in full heat, news about the U.S. government's spying activities on its own people or over its own territories quickly gains a lot of traction.

So when news broke out about the FBI's surveillance activities using drones over U.S. soil, it further ignited debates over the Obama administration's domestic surveillance policies-- a topic already particularly hot in Congress, The Guardian reports.

The information was revealed by FBI Director Robert Mueller before the U.S. Senate Intelligence committee. Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley asked Mueller if the government's increasing use of unmanned aircraft extended to domestic surveillance to which Mueller responded: "Yes... [in] a very, very minimal way and very seldom."

Mueller also added that the agency is in the "initial stages" of setting policies and other procedural boundaries relating to U.S. drone surveillance activities to ensure that no violation of the U.S. citizens' privacy will occur. Mueller adds that "our footprint is very small, we have very few [drones] of limited use."

According to Ars Technica, the Intelligence Committee convened to look into the recent controversial measures of the NSA and the FBI in practicing telephony and digital surveillance to monitor and thwart terrorist threats. During the oversight hearing, Mueller defended the agency's actions and reiterated the need for such surveillance programs.

The FBI released a statement regarding Mueller's confession of "very seldom" U.S. drone surveillance. According to USA Today, the agency explained with a bit more detail that unmanned drones were used in limited law enforcement situations only, such as when watching stationary subjects or when trying to avoid the risks on law enforcement personnel.

The FBI added in its statement that they successfully used drones in an Alabama hostage-taking this year when a gunman took off with a boy from a school bus and held him hostage in an underground bunker.

The Obama administration is mostly defending the surveillance programs currently under media spotlight, notes The Guardian. It explains that while the programs are indeed targeting agents and militants outside the U.S., they also inevitably survey data on U.S. citizens. In the words of Mueller: "[terrorists have] got to communicate. To the extent that we can intercept those communications... we can prevent those terrorist attacks."