{"id":3759,"date":"2019-04-02T07:25:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T07:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestdroneforthejob.com\/?p=3759"},"modified":"2019-05-12T21:04:45","modified_gmt":"2019-05-12T21:04:45","slug":"ethical-legal-issues-involving-camera-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestdroneforthejob.com\/blog\/ethical-legal-issues-involving-camera-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethical & Legal Issues Involving Camera Drones"},"content":{"rendered":"
Consumer drones have opened up numerous opportunities for businesses and individuals. Camera Drones have also introduced legal and ethical complications that have caught many governments unprepared.<\/p>\n
Camera drones, in particular, have been singled out for their potential privacy violations. A camera drone hovering over your backyard will make anyone more than a little uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
If you own a camera drone<\/a> or you are planning to buy one, it\u2019s important to understand the legal and ethical boundaries you should never cross lest you find yourself in trouble.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n With the rapid increase in consumer drones, the government knows that most of the drone owners out there are not skilled.<\/p>\n Yet, even small drones can cause serious injury and property damage.<\/p>\n To minimize safety risks, the FAA has several rules in place to regulate the use of camera drones.<\/strong> Know these rules before you use your drone. Breaking any of them could get you in legal trouble.<\/p>\n You can find the full list of rules on the FAA\u2019s website<\/a>. The most important ones are:<\/p>\n In addition to these rules, the FAA also restricts<\/u><\/a> flight over and near certain areas including airports, stadiums, restricted airspace areas, and sensitive security sites.<\/p>\n Additionally, no drone is allowed to fly over Washington, DC for obvious reasons.<\/strong><\/p>\n There has been a spate of security incidents lately mostly involving drones getting too close to airplanes. Make sure you are aware of where you are flying all the time.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The FAA has no specific rules regarding privacy. They focus only on safety.<\/p>\n But if you take a photo that someone feels violates their privacy you might fall afoul of other laws.<\/p>\n Privacy laws regarding photography vary from state to state.<\/strong> But generally, it is not a crime to photograph someone\u2019s property as long as you are not trespassing.<\/p>\n For instance, if you take an aerial picture of someone\u2019s home from the street, it\u2019s not a crime in most states.<\/p>\n However, if the picture shows them in the bathroom, bedroom or any other situation where there is \u2018reasonable expectation of privacy\u2019, you can be sued.<\/p>\n The laws are fuzzy especially when it comes to drones rather than traditional photography equipment. You\u2019d have to talk to a lawyer to get a clear interpretation of the law in your state.<\/p>\n In California for instance, it\u2019s a crime<\/u><\/a> to fly a drone over a private home. Violating the airspace above private homes is considered trespassing.<\/p>\n The best thing is to use your judgment.<\/strong><\/p>\n Do not fly over someone\u2019s home or any private property unless you have the owner\u2019s permission.<\/p>\n As for taking pictures of buildings, roads and streets you are in the clear as long as you do not violate FAA rules on flying over crowds.<\/p>\n No one can claim privacy violation if they were in a public area where there\u2019s no expectation of privacy.<\/p>\nBasic Rules and Regulations<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Privacy Issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Commonsense Ethics<\/strong><\/h2>\n