With all the fear of personal information released with the latest public drone registry for UAS (multirotors and model aircraft) weighing more than .55lbs and under 55lbs for hobbyist/non-hobbyist use has once again popped up when the FAA released a downloadable Excel spreadsheet showing a list of drone registrations in the US by city.
Of course, there are no names/addresses released in the FAA database, but only the county, city, zip code and number of registrants for both hobbyists/non-hobbyists. The numbers are interesting and a few pilots find them questionable in some cases where there are small communities that have a high number or registrations in a particular zip code. You can go here and download the Excel spreadsheet from the FAA website and check your areas.
So what’s there to fear about privacy?
There really never has been issue to panic over loss of privacy since the public registration was first announced, other than by alarmists and the media. For all intents and purposes, your personal info is all over the place and accessible through many other sources online – that is, unless you’re in the Federal witness protection program. 😉
All commercial registrations have been very public since they’ve applied for their Section 333 Exemptions and for marketing and informational purposes, sUAS News has published an interactive map with detailed info/contacts, etc. for every 333 holder and drone supplier in the US:
So those in the commercial UAS space have already been dealing with their information being out there since they first applied (myself included) and while we’re constantly approached by solicitors, we’re also visible to potential clients looking for a qualified UAS service provider.
