3. Terminology: What’s in a Name?
■ Drone
– Connotes controversial Military/Intelligence use
– Avoided by enthusiasts
■ Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
– Less politically charged, but more technical
– Applies to only the flying device itself
■ Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)
– Also encompasses Operator and Control Hardware
■ Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS)
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vs.
Photo credit: Breaking Defense
Photo credit: Drone Lifestyle
4. What are they used for?
Applications
■ Current
– Forestry
– Agriculture
– Real Estate
– Etc.
■ Future
– Package Delivery
– Internet for Remote Areas
Capabilities
■ Imaging
– Visual
– Thermal
– 3D Scanning
■ Exploitation
– WiFi Attacks
– Cell Tower Emulation
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6. A Brief History of Privacy
■ Warren and Brandeis’ “A Right to Privacy” (1890)
– The Kodak Camera (1888)
– Newspaper Gossip columns
■ Social Media (1990’s)
■ “Big Data” and Cloud Computing (2010’s)
■ The Snowden Leaks (2013)
■ Today
– First Amendment Concerns
– Possible Chilling Effect on Innovation
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Photo credit: Wikiwand
7. Status Quo Privacy Law
■ Protection from Government Surveillance
– The Fourth Amendment
– Reasonable expectation of Privacy – Katz v. United States (1967)
– Aerial Surveillance – Florida v. Riley (1989)
– Thermal Imaging – Kyllo v. United States (2001)
■ Protection from Private Surveillance
– Tort law – Prosser’s “Privacy” (1960)
– Education information – FERPA (1974)
– Finance information – RFPA (1978) and GLBA (1999)
– Health information – HIPAA (1996)
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9. FAA Rules: What’s allowed for
Commercial Operators?
■ Part 107 – applies to sUAS 0.55 lb. to 55 lb.
■ 16 yr. pilot age minimum
■ 400 ft. Flight Ceiling
■ 100 mph maximum flight speed
■ Must yield right-of-way
■ No flying over strangers
■ No flying outside visual line of sight (VLOS)
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The final two will change, thanks to sense-and-avoid!
10. Registration: The Who’s-Who of UAS
operations.
Recreational
■ One registration for all UAS
■ Name
■ Address
■ Email
Commercial
■ UAS registered Individually
■ Make
■ Model
■ Serial Number
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Registration number must be on the UAS, but not necessarily the outside!
12. Current Tech: Close, but Not Quite.
■ LightCense
– Array of Lights blinking unique Patterns
– Could be read by Eye or Smartphone App
■ ADS-B
– Part of FAA NextGen airspace control initiative
– Transmitters are Heavy and Bulky
– Receivers are Specialized Hardware
– Improvements being made by DJI and uAvionix
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13. Bluetooth Beacons: Repurposing
Location Services.
■ Currently used in Location Services
■ Advantages
– No new Spectrum
– Widely-Available Hardware (e.g. Smartphones)
– Actively-Developed Protocols (upcoming Bluetooth 5)
■ Risks
– Limited Range
– Identity Counterfeiting (could be solved with Cryptography)
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15. Federal Aviation Administration: Require
Beacons as analogous to Tail Numbers.
■ Airplanes have Tail Numbers for a reason.
UAS have Registration numbers, but they are Near-Impossible to See.
■ License Beacons are justified for UAS because
– UAS sometimes “Fly Away”
– UAS may cause Damage during flight
– UAS may be involved in Near-Miss Incidents
■ Cover roughly Visual Line of Sight Area
■ Work similar to Labeling to Relieve Concerns
■ Should not use a Public Registry
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16. Scope: Who should be Required to
Comply?
■ Commercial Operators
– Capture Data for Profit
– Simple to Enforce
■ Police
– Allays Surveillance Concerns
– Requires Exemption Process
■ Hobbyists
– Legally Questionable
– Low Likelihood of Offense, but High Impact
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Photo credit: Nimblechapps, TechRadar, BuzzWorthy, CBC Radio Canada
17. Summary
■ Privacy is hard to define, but it’s important
■ UAS technology is advancing quickly
■ Current regulations limit out most privacy concerns, but that will change
■ Beacon tech is available now for very little cost
■ License Beacons would improve safety and help relieve privacy concerns
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