New US guidelines on drone use could influence Jamaica

As Jamaica gets ready to use drone technology in its crime fighting, the United States has announced new guidelines governing the use of the technology that could influence Jamaica's approach.



Last week, the Jamaica Constabulary Force outlined its timetable for the use of the unmanned aerial vehciles in crime hotspots such as St James.



However, already local human rights advocates have noted that there is need for regulations to ensure that the constitutional rights of Jamaicans are not breached.



Yesterday, US President Barack Obama called for more stringent rules privacy and drone use.



The White House issued a presidential memorandum stating that drones should not be used to illegally gather or share private data.



It said laws regulating drone use should be evaluated every three years, to ensure that protections and policies keep pace with developments.



Civilian drone use has recently surged in popularity, presenting new regulatory challenges.



Drones are usually deployed for military and special operation applications, but are also used in a small but growing number of civil applications, such as policing and firefighting.



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