FAA to Hold Drone Privacy Web Conference

[The Straight Story]

The Federal Aviation Administration will hold a short, two-hour Web conference on Wednesday to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the agency’s proposed privacy policy for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

On Thursday, a national anti-drone group, Know Drones, plans to kick off a month-long national campaign featuring demonstrations at drone manufacturing plants, military drone bases and colleges and universities that operate unmanned aircraft.

Congress directed FAA in 2012 to set up the drone test sites by this summer and integrate unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system by 2015.

FAA asked state and local governments, universities, and other public entities to submit proposals for operation of six drone test sites on Feb. 14, with safety of operations a key consideration.

The agency also said it will work to ensure drones operate in “accordance with federal, state and other laws regarding an individual’s right to privacy,” and asked for public comment on a rule-making website. Only 48 individuals had expressed concerns over the privacy implications of drones in the United States by April 1.

FAA said the Web conference on Wednesday, which it dubbed an “online public engagement session,” would provide a brief overview of the UAS test site program and proposed privacy policies, followed by public comments lasting no more than three minutes each.

http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2013/04/faa-hold-drone-privacy-web-conference/62224/?oref=ng-HPriver

[MineralMan]

1. I'll be interested to hear from DUers who partipate

in the public comment portion of the web conference. I'll check for posts tomorrow.

You can register at this link for the conference:

https://www.eventbuilder.com/encounter/event_desc.asp?p_event=s6b6g2p7

[The Straight Story]

2. I would, but then they would know it was me and drone me

[MineralMan]

3. I edited my post to provide a link for the conference.

Registration is required. I'm sure a number of DUers who are concerned with domestic drone use will sign up and comment. I'd be there, but I have a phone conference with a client at the same time.

[The Straight Story]

4. Anything you would like others to pass along for you?

I am sure the whole helicopters=drone thing will come up. Which doesn't fly with me.

Drones will cost less to use and have less risk for police/etc so they will use them more as a way to monitor people instead of for intervening.

Would like to know what they do with the data they collect - videos and such. Where are they stored, how long, who has access to them? Are they on a secured network - and even if so can managers, etc, download them to analyze on laptops that they take home?

That kind of stuff would be nice to know in detail.

[MineralMan]

5. Personally, I would ask for regulations that demanded

search warrants if drones were used specifically to search private property for illegal activities. How's that? I'm sure it will be one of the most common things mentioned by participants.

[The Straight Story]

6. Given the recent drug sniffing dog ruling

would be interesting to see what they say.