Related to our story yesterday, the US Secret Service has release some of its findings: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/01/drunken-spy-satellite-agency-employee-crashed-drone-on-white-house-lawn/
Today, ... the Secret Service revealed new details into their investigation—including a confession by the pilot himself. According to the Secret Service, an unnamed employee of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) claimed responsibility for crashing a remote-controlled quadrocopter into a tree on the grounds of the White House.
The yet-unnamed employee reported the incident to his superiors at NGA. He claimed to have been drinking at an apartment near the White House when he decided early Monday morning to fly a friend’s new DJI Phantom drone. He claimed that he then lost control of the drone. Soon after the drone slipped unnoticed over the White House fence, it was spotted flying low over the grounds before it crashed into a tree.
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Police, fire and other emergency vehicles swarmed around the White House in the predawn hours, with several clustered near the southeast entrance to the mansion as the NYT reports that a small aerial drone has been found on the grounds of the White House. Obama and the first lady, Michelle Obama, are on a three-day visit to India, but their daughters, Malia and Sasha, are in Washington. The report of a drone came at a time when other threats to the president’s family or their home have led to concerns about security but according to a White House spokesman the drone poses no threat. “As the Secret Service has more information about their investigation, about what they’ve been able to learn about this, they’ll share more information on this,” says White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. After daylight, more than a dozen Secret Service officers fanned out in a search across the White House lawn as snow began to fall. They peered down in the grass and used flashlights to look through the large bushes that line the mansion's driveway.
The incident is the latest in a string of White House security breaches that have led to questions about Secret Service effectiveness. Four of the agency's highest-ranking executives were reassigned earlier this month. Former Director Julia Pierson's was forced to resign last year after a Texas man armed with a knife was able to get over a White House fence in September and run deep into the executive mansion before being subdued.
(Score: 3, Funny) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:04PM
Drunken Government Satellite Agency Employee Crashed Drone on White House Lawn
I didn't even know there was a drunken government satellite agency!
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:16PM
And regarding the "National Geospatial Intelligence Agency", it's nice to see the level of honesty they had when they decided the level of intelligence inside the agency was worth recording in its acronym ("NGA").
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:33PM
Yeah, how does an entire agency get drunk, anyhow?
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Wednesday January 28 2015, @10:31PM
Ever hear of office parties?
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by c0lo on Thursday January 29 2015, @01:08AM
Keep a small number of key employees drunk all the time - you won't be able to tell an "entire drunk agency" from a "drunken key employees only" one.
BTW: it works not only for agencies but for the businesses as well, especially at the corporation level; even more, in corporate world, the key employees don't need to be actually drunk, just shitty and full of themselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday January 29 2015, @08:52AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 29 2015, @01:36PM
No, it's the agency for drunken government satellites. You know, the satellites that make wobbly images.
(Score: 2) by davester666 on Thursday January 29 2015, @05:29AM
Hello. Welcome to the NSA. Have a drink. Check your conscience at the door.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:36PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:42PM
As usual in politics, there are two words for everything. Instead of masculine or feminine, as a metaphor, it is good or bad. If it is an organization that runs a country we should like, it is a government. If we are supposed to not like it, then it is called a regime. Good: freedom fighter. Bad: insurgent. Good: quad-copter. Bad: drone.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:54PM
Its just semantics. A UAV can be anything from a paper plane to a Predator. A quadcopter can be a drone. A drone may or may not imply autonomy with regard to flight control. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drone [wikipedia.org]
The original headline was acceptable with regard to semantics.
(Score: 2) by buswolley on Wednesday January 28 2015, @10:33PM
Most people call them drones, not quad-copters. My teenage son calls his a drone, and teens get to name everything these days
subicular junctures
(Score: 1) by Anonoob on Thursday January 29 2015, @12:27AM
except that the 'unmanned' part implies it would otherwise have been driven by a person. kind of rules out paper aeroplanes (at least A4 ones, rather than the first flight variety in early days of manned flight).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:43PM
I guess we'll do the martial law song and dance anyways and pass the Patriot Act 2: The Revenge regardless?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 29 2015, @01:30AM
Yeah, any surprise that the government is freaking out (read talking about taking away liberties) because a government agent did a thing?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday January 29 2015, @07:01PM
Yeah, any surprise that the government is freaking out (read talking about taking away liberties) because a government agent did a thing?
Yes, because usually it's because an agent didn't do a thing.
(Score: 2) by Techwolf on Thursday January 29 2015, @01:31AM
Been seeing quiet a few report of that model crashing a lot. Even saw one video where it just up and decided to "fly away". Is that a defective model?
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday January 29 2015, @09:03AM
... or jammed in the interests of 'security'?