Those lost at sea or caught in hostage situations would welcome a team of drones to find them.
However, if those persons were sunbathing in their backyard—perhaps not.
Because of the social and legal consequences of such intrusions, developers now put attention on privacy-protecting systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Vienna University of Economics and Business researchers propose a privacy framework for UAVs that safeguards restricted areas—such as private property—and prevents the collection of personal data from, say, bystanders in a crowd who happen to be near a police response.
“Drones can cause privacy harms as they can potentially invade people’s private space, and accidentally expose them by processing personal data against their will. Additionally, privacy violations can occur through the unsuspecting collection of information concerning random citizens without any purpose, simply due to constant video recording while flying,” say the authors of“Privacy-Aware Restricted Areas for Unmanned Aerial Systems”in IEEE Security & Privacy. (Login may be required for full text.)
The proposed privacy framework, depicted below, distinguishes between four types of actors: system operators, service providers, citizens, and authentication service providers.
For example, a system operator could be a police officer at a control center while the service provider would be the police department. Additionally, the citizen would be anyone wanting to protect his or her privacy.
“Any citizen holding a legal property title may use the system to set their privacy preferences,” the authors say.
The authentication provider is assumed to be a trusted e-identity provider.
These four actors interact with the six different modules in the privacy framework, providing data input to the UAV via the unmanned aerial system (UAS) control program.
The property coordinates must first be represented using a specific geospatial projection and associated with certain attributes, such as specific permissions for flying over a property.
Here’s how it works.
“To enter data, citizens need to identify themselves via an authentication infrastructure, which is offered by an (external) authentication provider. After authentication, the citizens can enter details about their private properties using a web interface that is offered by the service provider. Based on the data input, a checking entity is required to confirm the correctness of the request,” the authors say.
“After the correctness check, convex hulls can be calculated to increase the efficiency of the calculation of the flight path. The system operator can select and request the flight path calculation from the system. If there is no intersection between flight path and restricted areas, the flight path can be submitted to a UAS control program. Finally, the UAS control program handles the communication to the UAV, allowing it to be dispatched according to the flight coordinates chosen,” they add.
The authors of the research are Peter Blank, a process and data analytics professional at PwC Switzerland and a former research assistant at Vienna University of Economics and Business;Sabrina Kirrane, a postdoctoral researcher at the same Vienna University; andSarah Spiekermann, a professor for business informatics also at the university.
Research related to drones in the Computer Society Digital Library
Login may be required for full text.
- An Internet of Drones
- Drones, Robots, and Sushi!
- Drones Ripe for Pervasive Use
- Using Drones for Art and Exergaming
- Drones, More Wearables, and New Things to See and Feel
About Lori Cameron
Lori Cameron is a Senior Writer for the IEEE Computer Society and currently writes regular features for Computer magazine, Computing Edge, and the Computing Now and Magazine Roundup websites. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on LinkedIn.
I'm an expert in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and privacy protection systems. My background includes in-depth knowledge of the developments and challenges associated with the use of drones, particularly in addressing privacy concerns. I've closely followed research and advancements in this area, staying informed about the latest technologies and proposed frameworks to ensure the responsible and ethical use of UAVs.
The article discusses a significant aspect of UAV technology—the need for privacy-protecting systems. The researchers from Vienna University of Economics and Business propose a privacy framework for UAVs in their paper titled "Privacy-Aware Restricted Areas for Unmanned Aerial Systems," published in IEEE Security & Privacy. The researchers, Peter Blank, Sabrina Kirrane, and Sarah Spiekermann, address the potential privacy harms caused by drones and highlight the importance of safeguarding restricted areas, such as private properties, and preventing the unauthorized collection of personal data.
The proposed privacy framework involves four key actors: system operators (e.g., police officers), service providers (e.g., police departments), citizens, and authentication service providers. The framework comprises six modules that interact to ensure privacy protection while allowing UAVs to perform their tasks effectively.
One notable feature is the citizen's ability to set privacy preferences for their properties. Citizens with legal property titles can use the system to define their privacy preferences, contributing to a more personalized and user-centric approach to privacy protection.
Authentication is a crucial step in the process. Citizens need to identify themselves via an authentication infrastructure provided by an external authentication provider. After authentication, citizens can input details about their private properties using a web interface offered by the service provider.
A checking entity confirms the correctness of the request, and convex hulls are calculated to optimize the flight path calculation efficiency. The system operator can then request the flight path calculation from the system. If there is no intersection between the flight path and restricted areas, the flight path is submitted to the UAS control program, which handles communication with the UAV for dispatching according to the chosen flight coordinates.
The authors emphasize the importance of preventing privacy violations caused by unintentional data collection and the constant video recording capabilities of drones during flight. The proposed framework seeks to balance the operational needs of UAVs with the protection of individuals' privacy rights.
In summary, the research addresses the complex challenges associated with drone technology and privacy concerns, offering a comprehensive framework that involves multiple actors and modules to ensure responsible and privacy-aware use of UAVs.
