WASHINGTON — U.S. aviation regulators will require test facilities for unmanned aircraft to comply with federal and state privacy laws, as the government develops the first rules for operating civilian drones in U.S. skies.
“Each site operator and its team members will be required to operate in accordance with federal, state and other laws regarding the protection of an individual’s right to privacy,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in an e-mailed statement on Thursday.
The agency is opening a contest to create six drone test sites to be run by government agencies or universities, it said in the statement. That process had been delayed while the agency considered privacy concerns, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a Nov. 1 letter to members of Congress.
Privacy concerns have prompted lawmakers in Congress and more than a dozen states to seek privacy safeguards to shield Americans from spying by domestic drones.
The drone test sites were mandated in federal legislation that passed in 2011 and 2012. The legislation also said the FAA must integrate craft into the nation’s airways by 2015.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 02/15/2013