Just weeks after releasing preliminary rules for drone regulation, the FAA is facing a lawsuit. The Electronic Privacy Information Center’s lawsuit asks the Washington, DC federal appeals court to declare the regulations unlawful due to the lack of privacy protections, and alleges that the proposal is not comprehensive enough to allow for the safe use of drones in the nation’s airspace.
In its filing, EPIC writes that drones can be “equipped with highly sophisticated surveillance technology that threatens personal privacy,” and given drones’ ability to gather information, could “[pose] a public safety problem for millions of individuals.”
While EPIC says the FAA didn’t go far enough in their proposed regulations, large companies including Amazon claim that the rules go too far, since they will hamper delivery services and other advanced consumer applications due to the FAA’s position that drones cannot travel out of eyesight from the controller.
5 thoughts on “Drone Privacy Lawsuit Seeks Tighter FAA Restrictions”
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Wouldn’t that all fall under extant privacy laws? A drone is a vector for other technologies that could be used for spying/violating privacy; the regulation belongs on those other technologies, not on the drones themselves.
I agree with Cyah — there are already laws that handle protection of privacy. AFAIK, the FAA’s mission is to protect the safety of our airspace. Are there laws giving the FAA governance over surveillance from regular aircraft? If so, those will already apply. If not, then surely it’s handled under some other area of regulation.
LAWYERS encroach on our privacy laws. Who wants to file a CLASS ACTION SUIT against the American Bar Association for collectively assassinating the the rights of ALL Americans for the length of its existence? Id say ALL living Atotrneys would be plaintiffs. And they can’t represent themselves, so we could use Maritime Law.
Lawyers and politicians are pure evil scum PERIOD! Also youll notice almost all politicians are also lawyers, gee imagine that!
These people are NUTS! The average joe with a quad copter isnt an issue THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT is who you need to fear! None of this would have been an issue anyway if you fools werent running around calling your copters “drones” – the government doesnt like the idea of us slaves using their terms as it takes (in their feeble minds) power from them! As for a commercial devices buzzing around our neighborhoods I for oe am totally against it – it will be just one more annoyance in noise & sight pollution!