By Jodie Burger and Eddie Scuderi -
Snapshot
- The use of drones for personal, commercial and government pursuits is increasing rapidly with advances in technology and accessibility.
- With the growth in opportunities that drones present comes rising concerns about safety, privacy and surveillance.
- Australia was one of the first countries to introduce drone-specific regulations, however these laws regulate drone usage from a safety perspective only. There remains a gap between the public expectation of protection of privacy and the legal reality.
The use of drones for personal, commercial or government pursuits has grown rapidly in recent years, and yet the Australian legal framework has so far failed to keep pace. While the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (‘CASA’) regulates the use of drones in terms of aviation safety, its powers do not extend to other key issues such as privacy and insurance.
The regulation of personal information (privacy)
Despite the number of concerns raised about the erosion of privacy through the use of drones – including the Privacy Commissioner’s own concerns – lawmakers have not addressed this issue.
