On February 5th, Charlottesville, Virginia became the first city in America to pass anti-drone legislation. UVA’s Virginia Advocate blog approves the measure in a new post.

Will Fox reports.

Recent Resolution Declaring Charlottesville a “Drone Free Zone” as a (small) Step in the Right Direction

On February 5, the Charlottesville city council voted 3-2 to pass a resolution declaring Charlottesville a “drone free zone.” This resolution is a step in the right direction for anyone concerned government about violations of civil liberties. As I am sure the reader knows, it would probably be difficult for the average citizen to hide from a drone. The resolution really only has symbolic significance, though.

According to Jason Koebler of US News, the measure does not ban state or federal agencies from flying drones over Charlottesville. It does not even prevent municipal agencies from buying or leasing drones. Though the 3 members of the city council that voted in favor of the resolution should be applauded for speaking out against a potentially threatening practice, the City Council could make Charlottesville stand out even by prohibiting municipal agencies from using drones to spy on citizens.

The use of drones sets a dangerous precedent that would allow the government to invade the privacy of citizens. A drone buzzing around in the skies of Charlottesville could see almost anything. It is not far fetched to assert that a drone could peer through windows into a person’s residence. Allowing the government to have access to film every moment of one’s life that one does not try to hide sounds frighteningly dystopian.