I love toys, I always have, and I always will. My favorite type of toy is usually the latest and greatest technological advancement. For years, that has been my iPad. Limitless data and information is accessible at the touch of a screen. Yet with new toys and new technology, comes new legislative debate. Case in point, drones.
A drone can mean something as benign as a child’s toy or something as powerful as a weaponized, government controlled, multimillion dollar device. By last year nearly half of the states in the United States had drafted language dealing with drones. In most cases the issue was gathering third-party information through the use of a camera. While the general intent is that drones are not to be used to capture images of individuals without their consent on private property, this is easier said then done. Further, every state already has general eavesdropping laws that protect property owners. In practice, these newer laws are going to be very difficult to properly enforce. For anyone not living in the country and wanting to fly a drone, they are most likely going to capture images of their neighbor’s property and therefore might be in violation of the newly created statute. The revised code is meant to be revised, however capriciously changing the law based on the newest fad or novel technology often leads to duplicative regulations or crimes that end up infeasible to administer or prosecute.
For all my friends out there who dream of going off grid and living a life of obscurity, start by burning your phone which captures your location, your computer which transmits your IP address, every other piece of technology you own. Drones are the least of your worries.