US President Donald Trump has signed a new bill that authorizes American officials to shoot down privately-owned drones if they are deemed as a threat, drawing criticism about potential abuse of the law.
The FAA Re-authorization Act — signed by Trump on Friday – also consists of several points that are intended to bring US aviation regulation up to date, including new provisions to act against privately-owned drones.
Section 1602 of the legislation specifically outlines the “protection of certain facilities and assets from unmanned aircraft,” authorizing the detection, monitoring, and interception of drones “without prior consent” of their owners.
The bill further permits US authorities to neutralize a potential threat using “reasonable force, if necessary, to disable, damage, or destroy” the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
It particularly allows federal authorities to shoot down a privately owned UAV even without a warrant…