A couple of Washington State lawmakers think that camera-equipped aerial drones ought to stop where personal privacy begins. State Representatives Jeff Morris and Jim Moeller, both Democrats, have re-introduced a bill that roared through the House last legislative session but crashed and burned in the Senate.
It forbids the use of drones - think small helicopter-like flying platforms - to intrude over private property and record images that would not be available from ordinary ground-level vantage points - sunbathers baring it all in a fenced backyard, for example.
It would require drone operators to comply with federal regulations for unmanned aircraft, and that drones be clearly labeled with the operator's name and contact information. Violations would be considered misdemeanors under state law, but victims could also collect up to 5,000 in civil court.
Morris and Moeller said they were spurred to introduce their anti-drone bill again after an incident last summer. A Seattle woman in a high rise apartment was startled to look out her window and see a camera-equipped drone staring back at her.
A similar bill last year easily passed the House, but it was bottled up and died in the Senate. The new bill faces a committee hearing later this week.
