Privacy & Public Safety Considerations Flashcards

Under FAA Part 107, operations over a 'sparsely populated area' with no people present below are treated as:

Answer: Permissible without a waiver as long as no people are in the flight path

Part 107 allows overflight in areas without people present without requiring a waiver, because the hazard to persons is the primary concern the rule addresses.

A news organization uses a drone to film a car accident on a public highway before emergency personnel arrive. Which concern is most legally significant?

Answer: State laws restricting drone interference with emergency response and victim privacy

Several states have laws prohibiting drones from interfering with emergency responders or capturing images of accident victims without consent, creating distinct legal exposure beyond FAA rules.

What is the primary purpose of the 14 CFR 107.19 requirement for the remote PIC to be 'aware of and in control of' the sUAS at all times?

Answer: To maintain public safety by allowing immediate corrective action

Continuous awareness and control enable the PIC to immediately respond to hazards, protecting both public safety and the national airspace.

A remote pilot is filming a private outdoor wedding on private property with owner consent. A guest objects to being filmed. The pilot's obligation is best described as:

Answer: Stopping filming the objecting guest if practicable, since guests may have independent privacy interests

While property owner consent is important, guests may retain personal privacy interests, and reasonable accommodation of objections reduces legal exposure under state privacy law.

Which of the following best describes 'data minimization' as a best practice for drone operators collecting imagery?

Answer: Collecting only the data necessary for the stated purpose and deleting excess

Data minimization means capturing and retaining only what is required for the specific task, reducing privacy risk from incidental capture of unrelated persons or sensitive locations.

A drone broadcasting live video at a public concert is hacked and the feed is intercepted. The remote pilot's best practice to mitigate this risk would have been:

Answer: Using an encrypted video transmission link

Encrypted video links prevent unauthorized interception, protecting both the commercial client's content and the privacy of individuals inadvertently captured.

When a remote pilot operates near a school during dismissal, which public safety precaution is most critical?

Answer: Avoiding overflight of children and ensuring the drone cannot fall on them

Children near schools represent a vulnerable population, and the Part 107 over-people prohibition combined with duty of care makes preventing any risk of falling debris essential.