{"id":114168,"date":"2015-03-04T20:38:34","date_gmt":"2015-03-05T03:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/drone-bill-yet-to-soar-2\/"},"modified":"2015-03-04T20:38:34","modified_gmt":"2015-03-05T03:38:34","slug":"drone-bill-yet-to-soar-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/drone-bill-yet-to-soar-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Drone bill yet to soar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Colorado
Colorado lawmakers are debating how to protect citizens from an invasion of privacy as a result of the emergence of drones. A bill to address the issue was delayed Tuesday as lawmakers continue to work on the complicated and fresh issue.<\/span>Mark Lennihan\/Associated Press file photo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

DENVER \u2013 Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday delayed a vote on a measure that aims to crackdown on spying through the use of drones after concerns were raised that the bill would turn even regular camera users into criminals.<\/p>\n

House Bill 1115, sponsored by Rep. Polly Lawrence, R-Littleton, started with good intentions \u2013 to protect the privacy of citizens from the emergence of drones, which can take stealth photographs from the air.<\/p>\n

But an amendment to the bill would take the focus away from \u201cunmanned aerial vehicles,\u201d instead applying the measure to a wide range of \u201cemerging technology,\u201d including any \u201cartificial, mechanical, or electronic\u201d device.<\/p>\n

Some lawmakers worry that the revised bill is too broad, moving away from the original intent, which was to focus on drones.<\/p>\n

Instead, a wide spectrum of individuals using cameras and smartphones could face a misdemeanor as a result of the current proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t this law make it a crime to knowingly take a photograph of somebody under circumstances where they have a reasonable expectation to privacy?\u201d asked Rep. Daniel Kagan, D-Cherry Hills Village, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, where the bill was heard. \u201cAnybody who knowingly takes a photograph has almost committed a crime\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Arnold Hanuman, an attorney for the Colorado District Attorneys\u2019 Council, responded by pointing out that frivolous cases would be checked by a jury.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to be in a misdemeanor until a jury says you are, and you\u2019re going to have 12 people who are going to look at the facts of the case and look at the circumstances\u2026\u201d Hanuman said.<\/p>\n

The bill comes as the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Federal Aviation Administration has proposed regulations that would govern the use of drones, potentially making Colorado\u2019s effort redundant.<\/p>\n

But Lawrence believes Colorado should address the issue on the state level. The federal effort could take years to implement.<\/p>\n

The bill could come up again in a fashion that points more specifically to drones.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears to me that I need to work on the language of this to make sure the drafting of this is clearer and doesn\u2019t criminalize photography,\u201d Lawrence said.<\/p>\n

But those in the drone industry worry about focusing too much on unmanned aerial vehicles themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology should be agnostic. The delivery mechanism should be agnostic,\u201d said Allen Bishop, founder of Reference Technologies, the Lafayette-based distributors of drones. \u201cIf you couple the two together, that\u2019s where the industry can take a tremendous hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

pmarcus@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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