UK Information Commissioner taking positive steps in identifying privacy issues with use of drones and doing something about them
November 14, 2014 |
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office has taken some positive steps in highlighting and dealing with the potentially privacy intrusive activities of drones. The technology is becoming a valuable and necessary part of business operations and is being used in a growing number of commercial and industrial uses. The uptake of unmanned aerial vehicles has taken place in a legislative lacuna.
The UK Deputy Information Commissioner recently appeared before the House of Lords EU Internal Market, Infrastructure and Employment Sub-Committee taking evidence on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)/Civil Drones. His evidence is found in video format here.
Extracts of what he said are:
“There is more scope with these systems for what we would call collateral intrusion,” Smith told the Lords Sub-Committee on the Internal Market, Infrastructure and Employment. “[For example], I’m going to inspect the roof of a house but I pick up lots of images of people in the garden, neighbours gardens and around which I’m not intending to pick up but which I do pick up.”
and
“..how far data protection law extends to personal and private use is more than under debate, it is under legal question,” Smith told the committee. “There is a case before the CJEU about domestic use of CCTV where it is a camera put on someone’s private house but it overlooks the public area into street. Our approach [under UK law] would be … that that is all outside the scope of data protection law.”
The Sub-Committee is expected to report on the results of its inquiry into the civil use of RPAS in the EU in March.
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