The Federal Aviation Administration published the final rule for the operation of drones over people. The rule allows drones to operate over people without first obtaining a waiver to do so. The drone must meet certain requirements (e.g. the drone can't have exposed rotating blades) and the rule doesn't generally allow sustained flight over large gatherings of people outside. EPIC, in comments to the agency, argued that all drones operating over people should broadcast identifying information. In response to comments by EPIC and others, the FAA's final rule prohibits the operation of drones over "open-air assemblies" unless the drone meets the broadcast ID requirement that takes affect in September 2023. Through lawsuits and previous comments to the FAA, EPIC has repeatedly argued the FAA has an obligation to implement privacy safeguards for drones before they are a common sight over people.
Today, Google announced that it "completed its acquisition of Fitbit" in a $2.1 billion, even though the Department of Justice has not yet approved the merger. DOJ said that its investigation into the deal remains ongoing and "[a]lthough the division has not reached a final decision about whether to pursue an enforcement action, the division continues to investigate whether Google's acquisition of Fitbit may harm competition and consumers in the United States." This announcement comes after Google gained EU antitrust approval for its Fitbit bid last month after agreeing to limits on how it will use consumers' data, including pledging to not use Fitbit data for advertising purposes in Europe. EPIC has long opposed this acquisition, citing concerns about Google's history of data protection and privacy violations. In November 2019, EPIC provided told the House Judiciary Committee that the FTC to block the acquisition. EPIC brought the 2012 case against the FTC for the agency's failure to enforce the 2011 consent order against Google after the company consolidated user data across multiple services.
EPIC submitted comments to the Department of Homeland Security in response to a system of records notice and proposed exemptions from Privacy Act requirements for a new counterintelligence records system. DHS's proposed records system would permit nearly limitless collection of sensitive personal information and unchecked disclosure of that information to state, local and international agencies, and to private companies. DHS's proposed exemptions would eliminate all individual rights under the Privacy Act and exempt DHS from basic Privacy Act requirements, including limiting data collection to necessary information. EPIC recently insisted that DHS rescind a proposed expansion of the use of biometrics, including facial recognition, across the agency.
