Surveillance drones deployment on US’s Great Lakes raises data collection fears
Rights groups and some locals worry that program to ‘track illicit activity’ could become a data collection project The Great Lakes have rarely ever been considered a hotbed of illicit drug activity or center for illegal immigration. But that hasn’t stopped US government agencies and the company behind surveillance sailing drones from treating the region as such. The US Coast Guard recently announced it has launched an armada of at least six sailing drones in the Great Lakes this summer in an at
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Workers deploy a Saildrone ‘Voyager’ drone into the Baltic Sea at the Koge Marina in Koge, eastern Denmark, in June 2025. Photograph: James Brooks/APView image in fullscreenWorkers deploy a Saildrone ‘Voyager’ drone into the Baltic Sea at the Koge Marina in Koge, eastern Denmark, in June 2025. Photograph: James Brooks/APUS militarySurveillance drones deployment on US’s Great Lakes raises data collection fearsRights groups and some locals worry that program to ‘track illicit activity’ could become a data collection projectStephen StarrTue 9 Jun 2026 09.00 EDTLast modified on Tue 9 Jun 2026 09.01 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe Great Lakes have rarely ever been considered a hotbed of illicit drug activity or center for illegal immigration.But that hasn’t stopped US government…
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