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Proposed Law Would Further Limit Drone Surveillance

David Rodriguez Martin/flickr

The Florida Legislature passed a bill in 2013 that limits the government’s ability to use drones for unwarranted surveillance. Now, a new proposal would give people greater privacy rights on their own property.

The proposed legislation would take surveillance restrictions on drones a step further than last year’s law.

Senator Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange) is sponsoring the bill to help ward off potential invasions of privacy. She says there is no real protection in Florida against being under surveillance by a drone on your own personal property. She’s especially concerned about how small and affordable the technology has become.

"I've been watching the evolution of drone technology," Hukill says. "At what point does my privacy take precedence over the fact that you're able to purchase and put together technology and fly over my property?"

So, her bill would give homeowners and renters the right to not be spied on from the airspace over where they live.

"We don’t want people to be able to invade your privacy in an area that your expectation of privacy is absolute,” Hukill says.

The bill does include certain exceptions. With a court’s permission, for example, law enforcement could use drones to track people.

Hukill says the bill is still being written and will likely be filed after the New Year. A similar bill is being drawn up in the Florida House.

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