The CLA has called on EU regulators to update the rules in light of the dramatic growth in the use of drones carrying cameras.
The European Landowners Organization (ELO) has put forward proposals to protect privacy without curtailing the industry. The proposals, which are in response to a European Aviation Safety Agency consultation, include:
– the introduction of systems to enable simple identification of each drone in operation and its owner;
– guidance for drone users on privacy expectations in relation to privately owned property and land;
– removal of non-commercial drones from the exemption from trespass or nuisance action in the UK, currently in place under the 76 Civil Aviation Act 1982.
The CLA accepts that drone technology can benefit a wide range of industries, not least agriculture but added that while it was important to allow the industry to develop, the growth in the use of drones with high-resolution cameras for leisure purposes presented a significant risk to privacy and required swift action.
Existing data protection regulations are not easy to use to protect an individual’s privacy from a non-commercial drone operator and the CLA has now put forward workable proposals and it will be pressing the relevant authorities in Europe and within the UK to address the issue.
