European data protection authorities warn of risks … – Columbia

The use of drones has potential privacy risks given the ability of these machines to collect and process personal data, today warned European data protection authorities in their first joint opinion on the use of unmanned aircraft.

The Article 29 Working Party of the European Union, made up of all data protection authorities of the EU as well as members of the Supervisory European Data Protection and the European Commission made public today its considerations and recommendations for the use of drones.

The first joint opinion on these devices warns that large-scale deployment of aircraft equipped with sensors You can pose risks to privacy and data protection arising from the acquisition and processing of information such as images, sounds or geolocation data associated with an “identified or identifiable person”.

The Group Working especially concerned about the lack of transparency regarding the use of drones: it is difficult spot them from the ground, whether they are capable of processing data and, if being so, who collects them and for what purpose

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The document provided by the Spanish Agency for Data Protection, also emphasizes that the versatility and interconnection of these aircraft allow you to create “unique viewpoints” from which to capture a lot of information over large areas and over long periods of time.

The opinion reminds the law enforcement authorities to collect data from drones in control functions must not allow constant tracking and these machines are not to be used for wiretapping, mass treatment data or sharing data and profiles.

It also requests that regulators and legislators in the aviation sector to promote a European framework that guarantees both flight safety and respect for fundamental rights citizens.

The manufacturers of these devices asks them to include measures of privacy in its design and to report its intrusive potential and recommends that users are limited to fly them in permitted areas and try to avoid use on buildings and private residences.

Before using a drone, impacts, it is necessary to verify whether a civil aviation authorization is necessary and meet the criteria of “transparency, proportionality, minimizing the capture or limitation of the process data for which are processed “.

The authorities point out that the use of drones in a personal and home environment is excluded from the considerations of the opinion, by not including monitoring situations in public spaces .