Hours of live and recorded drone footage from the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) were inadvertently exposed online, showing detailed aerial surveillance of individuals, vehicles, and police operations across the city. This leak, discovered by security researchers, revealed sensitive video streams from multiple drones, raising urgent privacy and security concerns over police surveillance practices.
What Happened
In June 2026, drone footage from five SFPD surveillance drones, including both color and thermal imaging along with detailed telemetry data, was accessible via a publicly available web address. Security researchers Sam Curry and Maik Robert found the streams on Skydio’s platform—an American drone manufacturer used by SFPD—and reported the exposure, which was quickly taken offline. The breach was attributed not to a technical flaw in Skydio’s systems but to improper sharing practices by the SFPD. Specifically, an unrestricted access link was generated last December with no authentication required and an unusually long, one-year expiration.
The footage captured police using at least four drones to track a suspect in a vehicle theft case, detailing pursuit, surveillance from multiple angles, and the eventual police takedown of the individual. Beyond this, the videos included police monitoring of people in public and private spaces, including an apartment building, a homeless encampment, and various street-level encounters. One drone surveilled a young individual sitting alone on a rooftop, highlighting questions around the proportionality of such surveillance. The exposed data also contained pilot names and emails associated with the drone operations.
Key Facts
- The exposed data included live video feeds from five SFPD Skydio X10 drones collected over approximately 48 hours in mid-June 2026.
- About 60 videos and over three hours of aerial color footage plus thermal footage were involved.
- The telemetry logs tracked drone locations, altitudes, speeds, headings, battery levels, and pilot identities, totaling more than 5,000 GPS points over 44 miles.
- The SFPD fleet expanded from six to 98 drones between 2024 and 2026, with over 1,400 launches recorded between May 2024 and March 2026.
- The leaked streams were accessible via a public link listed on the AlienVault Open Threat Exchange, a platform used by security researchers for archived URLs.
- SFPD classifies such internal links as “restricted” and “for law enforcement use only,” stating the link was “improperly obtained.”
- The incident was disclosed in a public report by WIRED following the discovery and researcher disclosures in July 2026.
What This Means
This incident highlights significant risks related to urban surveillance and digital security in law enforcement, exposing how widely and intrusively police drones monitor city spaces. The public availability of real-time surveillance video and detailed location metadata not only compromises individual privacy but also threatens operational security for ongoing investigations.
For residents, the exposure reveals that police drones can capture intimate moments without consent—tracking people even when no crime is apparent—as in the case of the lone rooftop sitter. For law enforcement agencies, it underscores the critical need for robust cybersecurity practices around sensitive surveillance data and careful control of digital access permissions. Misconfigured sharing settings can inadvertently turn private police work into public spectacles, eroding trust in authorities and potentially enabling misuse of the footage by unauthorized viewers.
The leak also raises broader questions about the balance between public safety and individual privacy as drone policing becomes more pervasive. Transparent policies, strict access controls, and independent oversight are vital to ensure that technological tools serve the public interest rather than subject communities to invasive monitoring without accountability.
Background
The SFPD launched its drone program in 2024 with limited units, primarily for vehicle pursuits and active investigations. The use of Skydio X10 drones has grown rapidly, with the department now logging thousands of flights annually. Until now, the department has not publicly released drone footage except summary logs without video content. This leak is unprecedented in scope and detail, exposing video streams and metadata simultaneously for an extended period for the first time.
What Remains Unclear
It remains unconfirmed whether other individuals accessed the drone footage during the months the link was publicly available. Details about any disciplinary or procedural measures undertaken by the SFPD following the exposure have not been disclosed. The full extent of the surveillance program’s data security practices prior to this event and whether other vulnerabilities exist remains unreported.
What Comes Next
The SFPD stated it has upgraded sharing protocols to prevent future unauthorized access and is investigating the matter. However, no specific enforcement or regulatory actions have been announced publicly. Skydio did not respond to requests for comment on the incident.
Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following sources:
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