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The Catalan Data Protection Authority (APDCAT) has released a new informative video with advice and recommendations for the appropriate use of drones with regard to respect for the privacy and intimacy of third parties, given the increasingly popular use of this type of device, especially in areas such as filming, cartography, video surveillance, and recreational use.
In this sense, according to the latest published data, at the end of 2024 there were 119,712 drone operators registered throughout Spain, 27% more than the previous year. Of these, 8.2% are in Catalonia. In addition, since the entry into force of the European regulations (2022) until 2024, 221,340 training certificates for drone pilots have been issued throughout Spain.
In this context, the video reminds us that recording with drones can affect people's right to data protection, privacy and honor. The precision of these devices allows us to capture everything from clearly recognizable faces to voices, license plates and private spaces that identify people.
Thus, the APDCAT reminds us that data protection regulations apply if the images allow people to be identified and are not used strictly for domestic purposes. Therefore, data protection regulations apply when disseminating images on the internet and sharing them on social networks.
In order to avoid possible penalties and damages to third parties, the Authority summarizes these five essential tips:
- Check beforehand if an authorization is required to fly the drone, in accordance with specific regulations (natural spaces, spaces with air restrictions, etc.)
- Record primarily in spaces and times that are not crowded, at a sufficient distance, or with a resolution that does not clearly identify people, and pixelate the parts in which third parties appear.
- Avoid sharing images of others on the internet or social networks if they can be clearly identified and their appearance is not merely incidental.
- In the event of publishing images of others that are clearly recognizable and are not incidental, their consent must be obtained.
- In the event of using the drone for video surveillance, a visible information poster must be placed so that people are aware of it, indicating the body responsible for processing the images.
Given the increasingly popular use of unmanned devices to record images, the Catalan Data Protection Authority has produced an informative video with recommendations to avoid sanctions and breaches of the rule for intrusion into the intimacy and privacy of third parties.