In the memo obtained by WIRED, DHS shows less confidence in its ability to detect threatening drones. The document, which the authorities have been ordered not to make public, says that "tactics and technologies to evade capabilities against UAS are circulated and sold online with little or no regulation." In reality, police's ability to track errant drones is hampered by a range of evolving technologies, the memo says, including "autonomous flight, 5G command and control, jamming protection technology, swarming technology, and software that disable geofencing restrictions".

The mystery in New Jersey and similar phenomena in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland, among other states, have put a spotlight on the ongoing efforts of state and federal legislators to expand government access to counter-UAS technology. Speaking to reporters via Zoom on Saturday, a DHS official said the agency is urging Congress to "extend and expand existing anti-drone authorities," and ensure that "state and local authorities are provided the tools needed to respond to such threats as well."

Currently, only a handful of federal agencies — including DHS and the Departments of Energy, Justice and Defense — are legally allowed to shoot down a drone in US airspace.

Owned by the executive director of the People, Ryan Shapiro, says that the August memo makes it clear that DHS is working steadily to obtain new technologies and legal privileges for law enforcement. But any impact on American civil liberties, he says, should not be justified simply by pointing to a "nebulous, deceptively constructed threat."

While terms like "violent extremists" conjure up images of neo-Nazis and domestic terrorists hoping to incite a second US civil war, Shapiro says the government has also deceptively applied such labels to help undermine the animal rights groups. at the behest of the corporations. Activists have relied heavily on drones over the past decade, he says, to help collect evidence of cruelty in factory farms-where anonymous recording has been criminalized under the so-called "ag-gag" law.

During Saturday's briefing, FBI officials said authorities received about 5,000 drone tips in connection with the East Coast sightings, ultimately generating about 100 viable leads. Most of the reports seemed consistent, they said, with misidentified flights landing and departing from major airports in the region.

While the FBI has worked to mitigate concerns stemming from the recent sightings, it has also urged Americans not to completely give up on the idea that rogue drones pose a serious threat. "It is well known to us that criminals who break the law do, in fact, use (drones) to support their actions," an official said, adding that, in contrast, recent widespread sightings appear largely benign.

In a statement to WIRED, a DHS spokesperson said the agency continues to "advise federal, state and local partners to remain vigilant for potential threats and encourage the public to report any suspicious activity to local authorities." .