The issue of privacy for the unmanned aircraft systems industry has never been more public. Following the now-famous drone on the White House lawn event that pushed the UAS and privacy issue into the brightest of spotlights, the Obama administration took action. The administration created a multi-stakeholder process designed to explore and entertain the plausible answers to the many concerns voiced by both industry skeptics and supporters on the topic of privacy. To lead the process, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration was tasked to act as main moderator and push stakeholders past petty arguments on process or general constitutional rights toward a definition of privacy relative to what is and is not acceptable when UAS operate in the national airspace.Why NTIA?&nbsp;&nbsp; When the Obama administration issued its memorandum of understanding calling on NTIA to commence its UAS efforts, Juliana Gruenwald, press secretary for NTIA, said the goal was to come up with best practices related to privacy, transparency and accountability in commercial and private use of UAS. “The reason they looked to us to do that is we have a track record for driving these stakeholder-driven processes,” she says.&nbsp;Previously, the NTIA led efforts for two different privacy-related processes. It has also earned a reputation for succeeding with the process for an industry that some believe the UAS world could someday rival: the Internet.&nbsp;“We have been big champions of this tool of multistakeholder processes,” Gruenwald says. “The idea is that you have the stakeholders come up with the process and drive the solution.”&nbsp;According to Gruenwald, this is how the Internet is run, and how NTIA was able to push an Internet focused stakeholder group to create practices used today. Various groups, like the internet engineer task force, comes up with technical proposals and a group of stakeholders vets out the proposals before finalizing a course of action or protocol implementation. The NTIA acts as a neutral convener by posing questions, gathering perspective and pushing the right buttons during the process to garner resolution towards a more realized end goal. When stakeholders disagree, NTIA’s role is to help the parties involved reach clarity on what their positions are and whether there are options for compromise toward consensus, the NTIA says.&nbsp;Following the presidential memorandum issued in February, NTIA set up a call for public comment in March. While the NTIA process to date has completed three stakeholder meetings broadcast live from Washington, D.C., along with an evolving draft of best practices, the work on addressing the issue of privacy has, essentially, gone under the radar. But, the multi stakeholder process could someday be viewed as the foothold for all future UAS-privacy discussions. Unlike other efforts of the NTIA, this UAS work will not yield official regulations, instead only a best case scenario, a code of conduct or list of best practices that UAS industry members could or should abide by. Based on the range of participating stakeholders (and the range of participant perspectives) the issue of privacy is a long way from becoming clear. Several trends have emerged through the process, however. And, when the process is concluded, it is clear the topic of privacy, transparency and accountability will have been well-vetted.Stakeholders’ View&nbsp; When NTIA issued a call for comments and an invitation for stakeholders to participate in its efforts, more than 50 entities responded. “It’s been an interesting group compared to some of our past processes,” Gruenwald says. One of the past privacy efforts NTIA led was for cell phone app privacy issues. That group created a code of conduct that, if adopted by companies, opened up each firm to federal trade commission enforcement. The UAS effort will not yield such serious consequences. “For some of these people, it is a different process. The government isn’t driving the process, they are.”The list of stakeholders involved in the process today, or have issued commentary to the NTIA in the past, is wide-ranging, from Amazon to major law firms to Tim McGowan, a comment provider who only offered a short statement and a home mailing address. McGowan’s comments, however short or stark when compared to the multi paged, professionally penned statements by others, seemed to highlight one of the main issues many of the stakeholders in the process pointed out early on in the process.&nbsp;In providing his comments, McGowan wrote, “Just so long as I can shoot them [sUAVs] when they take pictures or photos of me, my family or my property I have no problem with them. I would also like to get paid when they travel across my property,” he said.&nbsp;Brendan Schulman, writing from the perspective of a long-time UAS industry player and actual sUAV pilot (and not the legal counsel for DJI he is now), helped bring the comments and views of McGowan into a greater context. Should the UAS industry receive special privacy regulation or do current laws suffice? Does McGowan’s commentary mean UAS should require special attention?&nbsp;“Physical intrusions that capture photography in inappropriate locations or to advance prurient interests are already largely addressed by state laws concerning stalking, unlawful surveillance, trespassing, peeping and similar civil and criminal provisions,” Schulman said.&nbsp;James Grimsley, president of Design Intelligence LLC and the Oklahoma UAS chapter of the Association of Unmanned Vehicles Systems International, echoed Schulman’s stance on UAS-specific privacy rules. “Although a few of the privacy concerns are unique to UAS, most others are not. Often,” he said, “broadly applicable laws or rules already cover the perceived harm in question”&nbsp;For Schulman and Grimsley, addressing the privacy concerns of many relative to UAS requires a look at what may make UAS technology unique and in need of new or specific rules. “I strongly believe it is important to focus the policymaking process on privacy harms the multi stakeholder participants determine are realistically unique to UAS technology and avoid imaginary harms that have no rational basis in reality, or that are already addressed by existing laws,” Grimsely said.&nbsp;“An invasion of privacy achieved by use of a tripod and zoom lens is just as offensive as one achieved by use of a drone, and likely already prohibited,” Schulman said. “Thus, the focus should be on what differences, if any, render UAS technology subject to differing standards or use restrictions,” he said.&nbsp;The differing standards should be based on the following: operational location of the UAS in places where manned aircraft cannot fly or do not typically fly; operational location of the UAS at altitudes below “navigable airspace” in places that raise actual privacy concerns; operations that involve persistent surveillance as opposed to the more transient nature of manned aircraft operations and data security issues when the captured data involves personally identifiable information of non-consenting persons.&nbsp;Jill Bronfman, program director of the privacy and technology project at the University of California Hasting’s college of law, believes we need to redefine the legal privacy parameters and physical space perimeters to include aerial space. “To leave this space unregulated is to invite commerce in without safeguards for individual privacy,” she said.&nbsp;A congressional hearing earlier this year debated the topic of reasonable aerial space privacy perimeters. Hearing members asked if privacy expectations were considered to span several feet above a property or if a drone hovering only inches above ground within the boundaries of a private property was still legal.&nbsp;While few stakeholders have voiced concern over aerial privacy perimeter standards, many pointed to the data captured through UAV operations as a crucial topic in addressing the privacy issue. AUVSI spoke to data directly, saying, that, “…the real issue at hand is the collection, retention and sharing of data. There is no difference between an image taken from a two-pound sUAS, a manned helicopter or a large UAS flying in class A airspace. It’s the activity of collecting data that should be regulated as opposed to the platform doing the collecting,” they said.&nbsp;Jerry Mohr, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association voiced concerns about data collection in the agriculture sector. “We recognize that state and local governments may also find value in using UAS for designated governmental purposes,” he said. “However, any data incidentally collected by any government agency regarding private property must not be used for regulatory purposes against farmers and must not be able to be obtained by outside parties under a Freedom of Information request.”&nbsp;To address the data issue, many stakeholders suggest a notice of operations model should be deployed. Bronfman said disclosure of information models should be utilized. Online service maps, posted notices, markings, warranties and warnings and even do-not-call lists should be created for individuals or entities in the flight path of UAV operations. Margot Kaminski, a UAS expert, believes a notice of use, notice of data collection and a notice of what data is collected when and how, should also be a standard practice for commercial UAS operators.&nbsp;Although data collection and usage was a popular talking point commented on by the stakeholders, thus far, only one entity called out the stakeholder process itself like the New Jersey Institute of Technology Unmanned Aircraft Systems Working Group did. “Due to the significance of this new industry, many UAS-interested parties may be unable to provide well-informed comments because of the processes to establish governance and policy adhere to static and non-innovative administration,” the group said. The evolving nature of the technology behind the UAS industry makes creating policies through traditional means impractical, the group believes.&nbsp;Because of the wide range of perspective and emphasis on various topics, only one stakeholder seemed to offer a relevant assumption suitable for all stakeholders. “It is important to be accepting of the fact that a single set of perspectives will not be appropriate for all jurisdictions,” said Matthew Bieschke, president of UAS America Fund LLC.Best Practice&nbsp; There is no timetable or end-goal of the group, Gruenwald says. Only the stakeholders will be able to define the outcome. To date, the NTIA is happy it has helped the group create a working draft document outlining what commercial UAS operators should do to mitigate privacy concerns. The draft, at press time, is now in its second version. The 13-page draft in its second version, at press time, includes seven principles that should be enacted. Although there is not timetable for the draft to be a completed document, it is clear that perspectives on UAS privacy are many and after this process led by the NTIA, the voices of many could be corralled into the larger belief on a single group. “We try and push them to reach an end point,” Gruenwald says. “They work to find their own consensus.”Author: Luke Geiver&nbsp; Editor, UAS Magazine&nbsp; lgeiver@bbiinternational.com&nbsp; 701-738-4944

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The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is leading a multi participant process to address the main questions and plausible answers to privacy issues for the UAS industry. 

Stakeholder Perspectives: UAS And Privacy

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