Mind your (R,Φ)s: Location-based privacy controls for consumer drones

Abstract

This position paper explores the threat to individual privacy due to the widespread use of consumer drones. Present day consumer drones are equipped with sensors such as cameras and microphones, and their types and numbers can be well expected to increase in future. Drone operators have absolute control on where the drones fly and what the on-board sensors record with no options for bystanders to protect their privacy. This position paper proposes a policy language that allows homeowners, businesses, governments, and privacy-conscious individuals to specify location access-control for drones, and discusses how these policy-based controls might be realized in practice. This position paper also explores the potential future problem of managing consumer drone traffic that is likely to emerge with increasing use of consumer drones for various tasks. It proposes a privacy preserving traffic management protocol for directing drones towards their respective destinations without requiring drones to reveal their destinations.