Drones: balancing risk and potential.

We agree with D. Shultz (“Game of drones,” News, special section on the End of Privacy, 30 January, p. [497][1]) that “[t]he opportunities—and potential violations of privacy—seem endless” from the technology of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Although implementation of privacy laws and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight restrictions regarding UAS may seemingly protect the public ([ 1 ][2]), they may also disrupt industrial UAS applications. All new technologies carry risks; the key is how we can better manage risks and establish best practices for operating within each industry. Power distribution companies have been developing UAS to inspect power lines and power plant facilities commonly located in public regions, reducing the need to place their employees in high-risk situations ([ 2 ][3]). The use of drones greatly reduces the personal risk associated with power line inspections, allowing regular inspections to be performed more efficiently while reducing the number of major power shortages associated with normal wear and tear in power utilities. Unregulated privacy laws will stifle these applications, potentially halting related technological advances ([ 3 ][4]). Many other approaches to increase privacy protection are possible. DJI Innovations Inc., a leader in commercial drones, is implementing an “Opt-Out” program that covers airports and government-regulated sensitive areas ([ 4 ][5]). Drone Deploy, a third-party organization, is developing an international database for the public to register their home/property as a no-fly zone. Upon the next drone firmware and software update, the drone will be prevented from flying over areas listed in the database ([ 5 ][6]). ![Figure][7] PHOTO: © MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS/CORBIS 1. [↵][8] 1. G. S. McNeal , What you need to know about the Federal Government's drone privacy rules, Forbes (2015); [www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2015/02/15/the-drones-are-coming-heres-what-president-obama-thinks-about-privacy][9]. 2. [↵][10] 1. J. I. Larrauri, 2. G. Sorrosal, 3. M. Gonzalez , Automatic system for overhead power line inspection using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle—RELIFO project, in 2013 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS) (IEEE, Atlanta, GA, 2013), pp. 244–252. 3. [↵][11] 1. B. Wolfgang , FAA's failure to regulate U.S. drone boom creates climate of confusion, Washington Times (2015); [www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/6/faa-failureto-regulate-us-drone-boom-creates-clim/?page=all][12]. 4. [↵][13] DJI Innovations, No Fly Zones ([www.dji.com/fly-safe/category-mc][14]). 5. [↵][15] 1. J. Barrie , You can now ban drones from flying over your home and looking into your window, Business Insider (2015); [www.businessinsider.com/noflyzone-prevents-drones-from-flying-over-individual-property-2015-2][16]. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.347.6221.497 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-3 [5]: #ref-4 [6]: #ref-5 [7]: pending:yes [8]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [9]: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2015/02/15/the-drones-are-coming-heres-what-president-obama-thinks-about-privacy [10]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2 in text" [11]: #xref-ref-3-1 "View reference 3 in text" [12]: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/6/faa-failureto-regulate-us-drone-boom-creates-clim/?page=all [13]: #xref-ref-4-1 "View reference 4 in text" [14]: http://www.dji.com/fly-safe/category-mc [15]: #xref-ref-5-1 "View reference 5 in text" [16]: http://www.businessinsider.com/noflyzone-prevents-drones-from-flying-over-individual-property-2015-2