WASHINGTON—Daniel Castro, vice president at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, released the following statement on today’s announcement by the Department of Transportation that it will create a task force to develop recommendations requiring drone users to register their devices with the government:
The Department of Transportation is trying to improve the safety and security of national airspace—which is a worthy goal—but the United States cannot rush into new rules that could have unintended consequences down the line.
Any new regulation that the task force advises for drones also will have long-term implications for free speech, privacy, and the commercial development and deployment of this nascent technology. A new system to register each private drone would be unprecedented in size and scope, especially given the millions already in circulation. So regulators should not create new rules hastily.
President Obama tasked the Department of Commerce with bringing stakeholders together to develop best practices for privacy, accountability, and transparency for commercial and private drone use. The Department of Transportation should not circumvent this ongoing process. If it rushes to put regulations in place before the holidays without proper stakeholder input, it may create rules with unintended consequences for this promising technology.
