Illinois authorities ban drones from using weapons or facial recognition

Law enforcement agencies in Illinois have been allowed to use drones at some public events. However, the drones are not allowed to carry weapons or use facial recognition with some exceptions.

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State Governor JB Pritzker has signed the legislation into law. The new rules overturn a ban on law enforcement agencies using drones to "gather information" that has been in place for the past seven years.

The law is designed to prevent crimes like the July 4, 2022 Highland Park parade shooting. State Senator Julie Morrison says the tragedy could have been avoided if not for the current ban on the use of drones.

However, the document restricts drone arming and facial recognition because of "concerns about drone surveillance and privacy", the lawmaker said

The new rules also allow law enforcement agencies to inspect infrastructure and help emergency services operate drones.

Police officers must still destroy information collected in the past 30 days if it is not relevant to an investigation. They have also been banned from selling data that drones record.

Source: The Verge