Interesting timing as the US Government’s current UAS authority expires in 4 days

Not saying this explains every sighting in the US or the global sightings, but interesting timing and some context to be aware of.

The current counter-drone authority (set under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018) expires on December 20, 2024. That law gave limited powers to agencies like DHS and DOJ to protect certain sites from drones, but it didn’t go as far as the currently proposed ‘H.R. 8610 - Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act’. This new bill has not yet passed, but would go much further in its oversight—it allows federal agencies to intercept communications, seize drone data, and destroy drones outright, under a loose definition of “threat.” It also opens the door for much broader deployment of counter-drone systems at public events, airports, and includes collaboration with state and local law enforcement.

In a worst case scenario, H.R. 8610 could theoretically allow the government to intercept and access live camera feeds from any drone in U.S. airspace under the justification of “national security.” Most drones today transmit video, GPS data, and flight telemetry through apps or cloud servers, which could theoretically be tapped into by federal agencies under the powers this bill would grant. Imagine a scenario where all drones, even those flown by hobbyists or small businesses, are turned into an involuntary surveillance network, feeding live data back to the government. This is far beyond what the currently expiring law allows and raises obvious concerns about privacy and government overreach.

Just find it interesting that a wave of UAS “threats” suddenly dominates headlines just as the clock is ticking on the old law, and Congress is debating a bill that would give the government unprecedented power over drones.