You, Drones, Civil Rights and Privacy – Legal Status of Drones

Government agencies and the military have used unmanned aerial craft for years. For example, they help fight terrorism and conduct domestic surveillance. But now, private companies like Amazon are seeking FAA approval for business use. For example, their “Prime Air” program recently hit the news. The Amazon website claims that companies can use aerial devices for delivering online merchandise, and pizza delivery is no different.

Private Citizens And Drones

Private citizens are not left out of the equation. Some citizens may be intrigued, and other people who were hobbyists of this kind of technology may be full-blown into it. One of these people is Santa Barbara resident Cliff Baldridge, a tech-savvy aficionado and an everything Google expert. He has used radio-controlled vehicles for approximately three decades and drone aircraft for practical and charitable purposes.

Mr. Baldridege believes he is an expert and uses drones to capture aerial footage of Santa Barbara vistas and then post it on his Santa Barbara Arts TV page on YouTube. The pictures are taken with an AR Drone 2.0, which he has modified to hold a Go Pro HD camera. He said the modified technology enables Mr. Baldridge to access stunning images and video. He also said that without the drone’s utilization, he would never be able to capture these images.

• Potential Liability Issues?

Personal injury lawyer Michael Ehline, who writes a legal blog, said Mr. Baldridge must be careful about using drones and the film. The licensed professional stated that there could be two legal issues with using these aircraft: the right to privacy and the FAA. Mr. Ehline said that even following the FAA licensing rules, the penal code is another issue. And this section includes people maintaining their reasonable expectation of privacy.

Reasonable Expectation of Privacy?

Recording in public places is permitted under California law so long as you keep your reasonable expectation of privacy intact. An example would be people at the beach who are unaware they are on tape. So now, it could be a violation of the law. But at the same time, videoing a police officer making an arrest remains legal.

This technology gives Mr. Ehline pause since he believes it is possible that legislators and judges will soon agree to government drone use. Of course, they will restrict private citizens’ aircraft use.

He said that it would not be unforeseen for law enforcement tue they have the right to use drones to record but simultaneously take that ability out of ordinary citizens’ hands. Mr. Ehline adds that in California, the stance taken by the courts is a pro-government position.

District Attorney Joyce Dudley and a Santa Barbara representative stated to the News-Press that they do not use drones to their knowledge. Mr. Ehline still sees that using these aerial vehicles could quickly invade privacy. He said that law enforcement should be held accountable. Moreover, Ehline noted how beautiful it would be to have a drone capture a police officer stopping recording the incident.

Recording Police Reduced Police Misconduct?

He cited Rialto’s case, where a systematic video recording of police officers on the job showed an 80% reduction in misconduct reports. In this situation, the officers carried cameras. And those devices recorded their actions. But imagine how much better this would be with drones. It could keep less-than-admirable officers acting within the law.

The other issue is that it could provide the government with the Legislature’s intent for using surveillance without a warrant. Even the drones Amazon plans to use could be tapped into. Companies like Amazon, which is attempting to get approval for enhanced business opportunities, could go along with the government’s requests for drone information to gain that support.

The current private drone use regulations include the following:

• Flying below 400 feet

Mr. Baldridge said that the guidelines for recreational and hobbyists come from the 1981 circular. These standards state that airborne model aircraft should remain a “sufficient distance from populated areas.” Baldridge also says you should not fly the craft above 400 feet.

Also, drones must remain within sight of the pilot at all times to avoid endangering others and to avoid charges of recklessness.

• Privacy

Mr. Baldridge said that there is a general expectation of privacy in public. He has not heard of any cases in Santa Barbara where people are concerned about their privacy. But he said that this craft is as high as a palm tree when it is over 50 feet in the air. So, for him, it’s filming public scenery and landscape. So, in that case, the drone isn’t low enough to look in someone’s windows.

According to District Attorney Dudley, she does not know of any current lawsuits related to privately done use.

• The FAA is working to establish rules to include drone use in the national airspace.
• This process is going slowly, and the agency has reported being behind schedule in developing standards. So, the agency will not meet the September 2015 deadline. Transportation Department Inspector General Calvin Scovel III stated as much at a House Transportation Aviation subcommittee 2014.

The California Assembly passed drone-related legislation pending; Governor Brown finally signed AB 2306. The law now codifies the illegality of unmanned aircraft systems invading a person’s privacy.

• Senator Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, spoke out about a personal incident with a drone. That has made her question her past support of the NSA surveillance program regarding personal privacy. Sen. Feinstein said on 60 Minutes that she was in her home and there was a demonstration outside. When she went to look out the window, there was a drone outside.

She said this made her question what benefits society would gain from drone use. She also pondered the roles of stalking or invading privacy and wondered about the distance the drone came to the house. The legal part of drone regulation remains to be discovered, including whether or not California legislation will clamp down on drones, invasions of privacy, or other nuisances.

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