ABSTRACT
The EU and Member States are investing in technological applications, ranging from biometrics to databases, to drones and satellites. The aim is to deploy the most effective technological means in the attempt to face the security threats allegedly coming from outside and to make such controls more efficient. This chapter focuses on the deployment of drone technology (DT) in border surveillance. It explores how it affects the relation between security on the one side, and privacy and data protection on the other side. The chapter examines how the metamorphosis of the drone from a battlefield tool to a civilian asset is taking place, and then it focuses on the EUROSUR border surveillance network and on actual cases of deployment of drones in border surveillance operations. The analysis of the current practices aims to provide information on the deployment of drones and, second, to elaborate on the impact of DT on privacy and data protection obligations.
