Drones are built for spying. Slow, high-flying, and able to stay in the air sometimes for a full day, they're most often used by the American military abroad, hunting for insurgents and trying to track the movements of terrorist networks. Yet all that spying equipment can just as easily be turned inward, like it was as many as 20 times between 2006 and 2015, according to a report from the Pentagon inspector general released on Friday.

From USA Today:

The inspector general analysis was completed March 20, 2015, but not released publicly until last Friday. It said that with advancements in drone technology along with widespread military use overseas, the Pentagon established interim guidance in 2006 governing when and whether the unmanned aircraft could be used domestically. The interim policy allowed spy drones to be used for homeland defense purposes in the U.S. and to assist civil authorities. But the policy said that any use of military drones for civil authorities had to be approved by the Secretary of Defense or someone delegated by the secretary. The report found that defense secretaries have never delegated that responsibility.