If you haven’t watched any episodes from this season of South Park, I highly recommend doing so. South Park has always been a bastion of consistently entertaining satire, but the quality has elevated even more this season with well-thought out social commentary on topics such as the gender binary, existentialism, and privacy. It’s this last theme that brings the rest of this article full circle. As South Park is wont to do, they poked fun at UAVs (re: unmanned aerial vehicles or drones) in relation to privacy, voyeurism, and self-policing. Beyond the humor and entertainment of the episode, it did pose a question over whether or not personal drone use is as safe for those being captured by video without their consent.
Recently, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) suggested their proposal to regulate drone usage with limitations and restrictions. Namely, they want to require valid pilot’s licenses for commercial drone users, or those who intend on making a profit from the footage their drones capture. Other regulations include only allowing drone usage during the day, stay under 400 feet in altitude, and ensuring drones are always in sight of their users for all drones weighing 55 pounds or less.
The FAA plans on making an official proposal by the end of the year, but is keen on input and suggestions to help formulate an ideal decision that would make sense for both consumers and their agency. Again, it should be noted that the regulations would apply to commercial use of drones only, but where is the line drawn between commercial and private use? How will that be tracked and regulated? I’m sure answers to these questions and many others will be clarified over the ensuing months when the proposal is made public.
[via Engadget]