Verizon and PRISM and drones -- oh my.
Federal Bureau of Investigations Director Robert Mueller confirmed on Wednesday his agency owns and operates a handful of drone aircrafts for domestic surveillance missions.
Mueller added in his Senate Judiciary Committee testimony that the FBI's use of those drones is "very seldom," while saying it has not yet codified specific rules governing their operation.
Mueller's comments, which come in the midst of an ongoing debate over the government's digital surveillance apparatus, are the FBI's first public admission that it has a drone fleet in operation.
The Department of Homeland Security has been purchasing unarmed Predator aerial drones for border surveillance since 2005. According to the Wall Street Journal, DHS' drone program hasn't found smooth air:
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, part of the Department of Homeland Security, used its drones just over one-third of the time they were available, owing to shortages of qualified staff, flight limitations imposed by regulators and other issues, according to a May 2012 report by Homeland Security's inspector general. The border agency has used unmanned planes for nearly a decade.
Should the FBI be using drones for domestic surveillance? Share your thoughts in the comments.