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Laws affecting Drones.

Drones are one of the 'must haves' for many people in the UK, their popularity has soared over recent years (sorry about that pun), and it seems, with their cost falling, we will see more and more of them, but to many they are a nuisance and an invasion of privacy.

Drones are an excellent tool for police and the military, and are now being used in industry and increasingly as toys.

Drones or rather Unmanned Aerial Vehicles can carry an array of features but it's the ability to film and take photos from the sky that is of greatest concern.

As these are such a new device the Laws are still evolving, but the calls for legislation are getting louder with the House of Lords recently highlighting the need.

The Law at the moment does not stop you from buying a drone weighing less than 20 kg or flying it you do not need any special drone licence providing you are not using it for commercial purpose, but you must not fly within 150 meters of a congested area or closer than 50 meters to a person.

If you don't want to obtain permission for flying your drone you will need to make sure you do not fly your drone further than 500 meters away from you and in excess of 400 feet high.

If you are thinking of using a drone for commercial use you will need a licence from the Civil Aviation Authority and prove you are competent. Going over the 20 kg weight for a drone will bring in a whole raft of restrictions, and before you purchase a drone in this class we would recommend you seek guidance.

The focus of the CAA is on commercial usage at the moment but there are examples where they have intervened regarding private use, which has lead to prosecution for breaching the restrictions on flying proximity, mind you it was flying over a nuclear installation!

I think the biggest risks are invasion of privacy and safety, it could well be illegal to take images of someone as a breach of the Data Protection Act or the code of practice, which includes the use of drones to collect information (CCTV) where it advises domestic users of drones to be aware of privacy and that there use should be done so in a respectful manner.

The repercussions of using images outside the home can escalate very quickly if, for example, images are taken outside the home and re-posted on facebook, facebook can license user content for other websites and all of a sudden you have very public content.

The law does need to be specific on the use of drones but the guidance that, you cannot take pictures of other people in a public area, is clear.

Drones can be a distraction, and therefore a danger, in the interest of the industry that produces drones, legislation should cover their safety; one bad accident and the industry will suffer as consumer confidence wanes.

Suggestions have been put forward that all drone flights should be traceable, which the general public can access in real time, in addition some form of public liability insurance has been suggested.

What is evident is that the existing laws are outdated.


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