California lawmakers advanced legislation Monday seeking to rein in the use of privacy-invading drones, passing one bill to prevent the use of drones by paparazzi and another making it a trespassing violation to fly drones over private property without permission.
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Arkansas has, meanwhile, passed a law that prohibits the use of drones to secretly take images for voyeurism.
The bill follows numerous public incidents with drones, including incidences of drones impeding firefighting efforts.
In 2015, 45 states have considered 156 bills related to drones, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Now the FAA allows small aircraft to be flown for recreational purposes without a permit, below 400 feet and at least five miles from an airport.
The agency has faced tremendous pressure to approve an expansion of nonmilitary drone use from companies such as Amazon, which has said the technology can be used to make speedier online deliveries.
The Assembly voted 43-11 on a bill by Santa Barbara Democratic Sen. It handed unanimously and returns to the Meeting. Hannah-Beth Jackson to create airspace above private property. This technically means that if the drone were to fly over a neighborhood, every house that it passes over will need to grant it permission to fly over its property.
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The new bill has the potential to further confuse UAS users and stifle economic growth in California, said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the nonprofit Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems worldwide (AUVSI).
