Congress to Examine Commercial Drones, Privacy and Safety Issues Loom Large
The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Commercial Applications and Public Policy Implications. The FAA has granted nearly 1,500 exemptions to commercial drone operators even as public safety risks and privacy concerns increase. EPIC has sued the agency for its failure to establish privacy safeguards prior to the deployment of commercial drones in the United States. The lawsuit, EPIC v. FAA, follows an act of Congress requiring the agency to develop a "comprehensive plan" for the safe integration of drones in domestic airspace, and a petition, organized by EPIC and joined by over 100 experts organizations, calling on the FAA to establish privacy rules. EPIC previously testified in Congress in support of strong privacy legislation.