'This Approach Creates Barriers To Compliance And Will Have Unintended Negative Privacy Impacts'

Wing, an Alphabet company, wants to be a major player in the drone delivery and other associated businesses.

So far, they've built a small, lightweight aircraft and navigation system that they believe capable of delivering small packages--including food, medicine and household items--directly to homes in minutes. Created in 2012, Wing has conducted more than 100,000+ flights across three continents.

But, now new regs have been proposed and Wing is speaking up.

Wing notes, in a recent blog posting, that, "Remote identification (RID) is a crucial technology that can provide the identity and location of a drone, validate transparent and safe operations for governments, law enforcement, community members and operators alike. With this rulemaking the FAA had an opportunity to lead the world by adopting performance-based, technology-neutral remote identification regulations that support safety, privacy, inclusivity, and the widespread use of drones in the United States."

But they also have some heartburn with the way that the FAA has dealt with the matter. "Unfortunately, the final rule, unlike existing international standards, does not allow the use of equally effective network remote ID, and requires all UAS, no matter the use case, to use 'broadcast' RID. This approach creates barriers to compliance and will have unintended negative privacy impacts for businesses and consumers. Unlike traditional aircraft flying between known airports, commercial drones fly closer to communities and between businesses and homes. While an observer tracking an airplane can’t infer much about the individuals or cargo onboard, an observer tracking a drone can infer sensitive information about specific users, including where they visit, spend time, and live and where customers receive packages from and when. American communities would not accept this type of surveillance of their deliveries or taxi trips on the road. They should not accept it in the sky."

As a result; they are urging the FAA, "to expand the pathways by which an operator can comply with the FAA’s remote ID requirements, enabling compliance through broadcast or network technologies."

FMI: https://wing.com