GVC Insurance & Data Protection

Question 1

Is third-party liability insurance mandatory for commercial drone operators in the UK?

Accepted Answer

Yes — EU Regulation 785/2004 (retained in UK law) requires insurance for all UAS operations that could endanger third parties

Answer

EU Regulation 785/2004, retained in UK law post-Brexit, requires that all operators of aircraft (including drones) that can cause harm to third parties carry third-party liability insurance. The minimum required coverage level depends on the MTOM of the drone.

Question 2

What is the minimum third-party liability insurance coverage (in Special Drawing Rights, SDR) required for a drone with an MTOM between 500 g and 1 kg under EU Regulation 785/2004?

Accepted Answer

0.75 million SDR

Answer

EU Regulation 785/2004 specifies minimum insurance coverage levels by aircraft MTOM. For drones between 500 g and 1 kg, the minimum is 0.75 million SDR. The SDR (Special Drawing Right) is an international monetary unit — operators must ensure their policy meets the SDR threshold applicable to their drone's weight class.

Question 3

A commercial drone operator collects aerial footage of a construction site containing workers' faces. What data protection obligation arises?

Accepted Answer

The footage contains personal data — the operator must have a lawful basis, inform workers (transparency), and secure the footage appropriately under UK GDPR

Answer

Identifiable facial images of workers constitute personal data under UK GDPR, even in a commercial/professional context. The operator must have a lawful basis (often legitimate interests for site documentation), must be transparent about data collection (usually via site briefings or signage), and must store the footage securely.

Question 4

What should a commercial drone operator include in their privacy notice or information governance documentation?

Accepted Answer

The types of data collected, purposes and lawful basis for processing, retention periods, data subject rights, and contact details for the data controller

Answer

UK GDPR Article 13/14 requires data controllers to provide clear information to data subjects about how their personal data is processed. A privacy notice for aerial operations should address all required elements to demonstrate transparency and compliance — this is particularly important when footage is shared with commercial clients.

Question 5

A commercial client asks a drone operator to hand over all raw footage from a photographic survey, including footage of neighbouring properties. What data protection consideration applies?

Accepted Answer

The operator should assess whether sharing footage of third-party properties is justified under UK GDPR and may need to redact or withhold footage of identifiable individuals not covered by the client's lawful basis

Answer

When footage contains personal data (identifiable people or potentially even specific, identifiable vehicle registrations on private land), sharing it requires a lawful basis. The operator must consider whether the client's intended use is covered by their own lawful basis. A data processing agreement between operator and client is best practice.

GVC Drone Practice Test

GVC Drone Practice Test

GVC Insurance & Data Protection