The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) issued a set of best practices for private drone users, both in the commercial and non-commercial arenas. The CDT hopes to help individuals use drones safely while also encouraging them to respect others’ privacy. Some highlights from the CDT’s best practices include:
- All commercial drone operators should have a privacy policy describing how the drone is used, the types of data the drone collects, and how the information is disclosed;
- Private drone operators should also make reasonable efforts to notify others if they are collecting information through their drone;
- Private drone operators should not enter private property without first obtaining consent;
- Private drone operators should not collect information for persistent monitoring of a specific individual, for employment purposes, or for credit or healthcare eligibility without individual consent;
- Data collected through drone use should be destroyed or de-identified if retention of the data is not necessary; and
- All commercial drone operators should implement commercially reasonably security standards to protect the data they collect.
All of the CDT’s drone privacy practices stem from the White House’s Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights and the Fair Information Practice Principles. Overall, the CDT seeks to encourage increased privacy, transparency, and accountability of drone operators. Click here to access the complete CDT’s drone privacy best practices.