Alphabet’s Wing is less than thrilled with the FAA’s new rules for drone ‘license plates,’ and it’s pushing for significant changes. Reuters report that the drone delivery company has attacked the rules for remote IDs, warning that they might have “unintended consequences” for privacy.
The company’s drone delivery subsidiary Wing wrote a somewhat fearmongering post (via Reuters) titled “Broadcast-Only Remote Identification of Drones May Have Unintended Consequences for American Consumers,” which argues that the FAA’s decision to have drones broadcast their location might let observers track your movements, figuring out where you go, where you live, and where and when you receive packages, among other examples.
“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,” Wing argues.
The firm also contended that broadcast IDs made it harder to create large-scale drone traffic control systems. Traffic management will be vital to a drone industry that could use network ID as a “key building block,” Wing said.
Wing maintained that the FAA’s rules needed to “continue to evolve” to accommodate this, although it stopped short of pursuing official action. The agency has stressed that the ID system was an “initial framework,” and that drone makers have 18 months to develop their ID technology and seek approval.
The FAA switched its strategy from network IDs to remote ones due to a number of potential problems, including unreliable cellular coverage and the possibility that data breaches at third-party brokers could ground drones and compromise privacy. That doesn’t negate the problems with broadcast IDs, but it does suggest that neither current option is ideal.
