Drone photography and videography now forbidden in Hawaii?

[Big Island Guy]

I've actually had inquiries by Hawaii County cops I know about using these for accident investigations.

[setishock]

As rapidly as this bill is moving, could it be they want to blind us to something they do not want us to see?
Some one should file an injunction to stop or slow down the process. This bill is getting railroaded through.

[Big Island Guy]

Originally Posted by setishock

As rapidly as this bill is moving, could it be they want to blind us to something they do not want us to see?
Some one should file an injunction to stop or slow down the process. This bill is getting railroaded through.

It won't go through that fast. This is Hawaii you know! It has to pass multiple readings in both houses then be signed by the governor. It's moving at about the usual pace. Nonetheless, it's good not to be complacent. In Texas, I believe they passed into law some bill that basically lets the government do whatever it pleases while severely restricting private uses. So much for Rick Perry's small government.

[kpod]

I'm all for protecting privacy but this is ridiculous. While people should not be allowed to trespass on your land, it is not private from view. If I should be entitled to privacy in my front yard, shouldn't I be allowed to walk around naked without getting a ticket for indecent exposure?

I want a law written that makes all my neighbors have turn their head the other way as they walk in front of my house. Then I won't have to mow the yard.

Google, the US, and every other nation that has a satellite in orbit is already taking pictures of my fenced in backyard and some are publishing these pics for everyone to see and they didn't get a warrant.

[personal drones]

Hawaii grapples with unmanned aircraft privacy

http://thegardenisland.com/news/stat...2349d73f6.html

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it illegal for police to monitor people with unmanned aircraft without due process.
Police, hobbyists, filmmakers and regulators told lawmakers Tuesday that the state should protect people's privacy. But they urged lawmakers not to curtail the many uses for unmanned aircraft beyond police surveillance, including commercial photography, search and rescue operations, resource management and recreational use.
Large drones like the ones the U.S. military and border patrol uses aren't the only style of unmanned craft that would be regulated. Police departments and the public can buy small remote-controlled helicopters and little airplanes made of Styrofoam for just a few hundred dollars.
AJ White, a cameraman who uses a multirotor helicopter in his work with Kailua-based Blue River Productions, said mounting cameras on radio-controlled aircraft is already commonplace in television and film.
"Drones automatically imply futuristic spying," he said. "But literally it's just me 50 feet away with a remote control."
A version of the bill, Senate Bill 2608 SD1, before the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor would restrict unmanned aircraft use to law enforcement, people testified. Committee Chairman Clayton Hee, a Democrat representing Waialua, Wahiawa and Koolauloa, said he would amend the bill to make room for other uses, in line with the Federal Aviation Administration's regulations.
Along the way lawmakers heard from an array of people who outlined the many uses for unmanned craft, which are sure to continue vexing regulators in Hawaii, as they have elsewhere.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources wants to be able to use the craft to monitor coral reefs and wildfires safely and cheaply. Groups representing farmers and ranchers said they want to use unmanned aircraft to monitor fence lines, watch for wildlife, assess storm damage and keep track of cattle.
One hobbyist, Billy Van Osool, said native Hawaiian groups have asked him how to use the craft to help them survey their land.
"For those that are using them responsibly, that are using them with safety in mind, we would like to continue with the use of drones," he told lawmakers.

[Big Island Guy]

Originally Posted by personal drones

Hawaii grapples with unmanned aircraft privacy

http://thegardenisland.com/news/stat...2349d73f6.html

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it illegal for police to monitor people with unmanned aircraft without due process.
Police, hobbyists, filmmakers and regulators told lawmakers Tuesday that the state should protect people's privacy. But they urged lawmakers not to curtail the many uses for unmanned aircraft beyond police surveillance, including commercial photography, search and rescue operations, resource management and recreational use.
Large drones like the ones the U.S. military and border patrol uses aren't the only style of unmanned craft that would be regulated. Police departments and the public can buy small remote-controlled helicopters and little airplanes made of Styrofoam for just a few hundred dollars.
AJ White, a cameraman who uses a multirotor helicopter in his work with Kailua-based Blue River Productions, said mounting cameras on radio-controlled aircraft is already commonplace in television and film.
"Drones automatically imply futuristic spying," he said. "But literally it's just me 50 feet away with a remote control."
A version of the bill, Senate Bill 2608 SD1, before the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor would restrict unmanned aircraft use to law enforcement, people testified. Committee Chairman Clayton Hee, a Democrat representing Waialua, Wahiawa and Koolauloa, said he would amend the bill to make room for other uses, in line with the Federal Aviation Administration's regulations.
Along the way lawmakers heard from an array of people who outlined the many uses for unmanned craft, which are sure to continue vexing regulators in Hawaii, as they have elsewhere.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources wants to be able to use the craft to monitor coral reefs and wildfires safely and cheaply. Groups representing farmers and ranchers said they want to use unmanned aircraft to monitor fence lines, watch for wildlife, assess storm damage and keep track of cattle.
One hobbyist, Billy Van Osool, said native Hawaiian groups have asked him how to use the craft to help them survey their land.
"For those that are using them responsibly, that are using them with safety in mind, we would like to continue with the use of drones," he told lawmakers.

Good to see some people weighing in on this. The person from Kailua that's mentioned. if he's who I think he is, has been doing real estate photography on Oahu for years, before there even were multi-rotors around. They did a TV spot on him several years ago.

[personal drones]

http://www.civilbeat.com/voices/2014...ion-in-hawaii/

Drone Schizophrenia and Evaluating Proposed Legislation in Hawaii
By Khara Jabola Carolus 02/25/2014

All of a sudden the news on drones is not compassion fatigue-related or connected to terrorism.

Instead, we find ourselves smiling at headlines of the father who designed a parenting drone to accompany his children to their bus stop, marveling at robots that mimic avian flight, and sympathizing with ice fishers in Minnesota recently prohibited by the FAA from using drones to restock their beer supply.

Drone manufacturers are rallying us to join the drone “movement.”

Thousands of dollars in prize money are spurring public contribution to the drone delivery race.

Our Americanized collective memories of The Jetsons and Disney’s Tomorrowland are stirred by these announcements and imaginings of a future where the payload is not a Hellfire missile but rather a renewed passport or a Domino’s pizza.

The dark story of drone development and the potential risks of domestic drone use, especially privacy concerns, seem abstract and almost unimportant in comparison to the enormous life-enhancing benefits that drones stand to offer us.

But who is controlling the conversation about drones?

And how do we, who do not fancy ourselves to be armchair roboticists or constitutional law professors, evaluate the trio of drone bills now advancing through the Legislative session?

Beyond certain FAA rules, there are no federal or Hawaii state laws concerning domestic drone use.

Without the people’s input or consent, Hawaii was recently selected to serve as a test site for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Non-military drone use in Hawaii is still piecemeal but has been ongoing, by both public and private entities, and it is predicted to explode.

Homegrown restrictions are urgently needed and these three bills are slated to fill the legal vacuum: Senate Bills 2608, 2582, and 3053, which appropriates at least $470,000 of taxpayer money to formalize Hawaii as a testing ground for drones.

Typical but somewhat halfhearted arguments against these bills are that the Constitution(s) already provide(s) sufficient protection against drone misuse and that proposed restrictions burden the private sector, especially hobbyists and environmental management groups.

I suggest the following questions as a basic checklist against uninformed drone boosterism in the Legislature:

Is this bill vague or does it properly define drone technology currently in use by public and private entities, defining sensors and including marine vehicles?

Does this bill establish thorough reporting requirements that include the location of each use and the technology used?

Does the bill put in place a robust oversight regime that will keep drone operators accountable to the Legislature? The bill should contain specific language requiring that management practices be made available for independent scrutiny by the Legislature, experts, and the public.

Does the bill place strict limits on the length of time public drone operators may retain personal information intentionally or inadvertently collected from law-abiding citizens?

Does this bill ban weaponized drones? The International Association of Chiefs of Police recommends the prohibition of weaponized drones due to the inaccuracy of current technology.

Given the unique capabilities of drone surveillance technology, does this bill question the probable cause warrant-based system and offer an effective safeguard against invasive police surveillance?

Have the necessary steps been taken to comply with environmental laws?

Strong legislation would answer these questions in the affirmative.

About the author: Khara Jabola Carolus is an organizer, activist, and law student serving as president of the Filipino Law Students Association at the University of Hawaii.

[Big Island Guy]

Khara Jabola Carolus, who probably knows zero about what most of us do with these. Eff this idiot.

[CircleH]

whoever represents the machine should be able to fly the machine

[Big Island Guy]

Originally Posted by CircleH

whoever represents the machine should be able to fly the machine

...and so should those who MISrepresent them. There's a certain crowd here (mostly mainland transplants actually) that hysterically overreacts to every technology - from high speed ferries, to geothermal power, to wind power farms, to UAVs. In each case, there's a germ of truth buried under mountains of hysterical arm waving based on total ignorance. This stupidity has cost many jobs and kept Hawaii more dependent on imported energy. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone more progressive than I am on things like the environment and freedom from government spying, but much of this is just based on complete ignorance.