Trump To Be Protected By Drone During Vacation

Residents of Bedminster, New Jersey will be getting an extra guest during Trump’s 17-day vacation at his private golf course. Flying overhead during the President’s sojourn will be a tethered unmanned surveillance drone.

The announcement was made through a privacy notice issued this week by the Secret Service, who said the drone would primarily focus on the golf club’s perimeter and wouldn’t "physically intrude upon or disturb the use of private property outside the Trump National Golf Course."

The Department of Homeland Security, however, said there could be some unintended surveillance. As reported in the Washington Post, the DHS explained that the drone was part of a "privacy impact assessment to evaluate privacy risks" from the unmanned aircraft, and warned there was a “risk that someone’s privacy could be unintentionally violated” but that the “system can’t collect information about what occurs inside buildings.”

Any material collected by the drone will be deleted within 30 days, unless the video or images are needed for a law enforcement investigation.

Powered by a microfilament wire attached to a ground controller, the "tethered drone" is equipped with optical and infrared cameras and will fly 300 to 400 feet above the golf club. No other aircraft will be permitted in the area, as outlined in this FAA VIP announcement.

Reactions to the drone, and increased traffic to the area, have been mixed.

"Even if you agree with his politics, I think we can all agree that this is not what we bargained for," Bedminster resident Anne Choi told Reuters. But the town’s Republican mayor, Steven Parker, shrugged off the criticism: "It’s really a big non-event."

Should the Secret Service and DHS be able to test drones at their discretion? Would you be ok with a drone monitoring your golf game? Hit the Take Action button and let us know your thoughts.

--Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: Jeshoots.com / Creative Commons)