EPIC: 'Not Possible' for FAA to Regulate Drone Hazards Without Privacy Rules
EPIC has filed a reply brief in EPIC v. FAA, a lawsuit concerning the FAA's failure to establish privacy rules for small commercial drones. EPIC sued the FAA after the agency refused to issue drone privacy rules. Congress had required a "comprehensive plan" for drone deployment in the United States, and more than 100 experts and organizations petitioned the agency for privacy safeguards. In a brief filed last month, the FAA acknowledged "that cameras and other sensors attached to [drones] may pose a risk to privacy interests" but continued to deny the agency's responsibility to set privacy rules. EPIC wrote in reply, "It is not possible to address the hazards associated with drone operations without addressing privacy in the final rule for small commercial drone." EPIC also explained that the FAA "profoundly mischaracterizes the aviation technology at issue" by suggesting that cameras are simply add-ons. "Drone cameras are an integral component of drone operations," EPIC explained. "Without a camera, it would be almost impossible to operate a commercial drone."
May 12, 2017| Share:
