By The Star Staff
In light of recent reports from condominium residents who have seen unmanned aerial systems, better known as “drones,” appearing to be photographing and/or taking videos of apartments without authorization, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, José Aponte, urged citizens to file complaints with the Police Bureau, in accordance with the parameters of Law 68-2021, which classifies such privacy violations as a crime.
“This is an issue that we have been working on continuously since 2015. Section 8 of Article II of the Constitution of Puerto Rico protects the privacy of citizens. Drones have the ability to use cameras, and therefore, they make it easier for unscrupulous people to violate that privacy. Law 68-2021, which comes from House Bill 402 of our authorship, offers law enforcement agencies a legal mechanism against these violations of privacy,” he said.
“In recent months we have received information about drone sightings near apartments in condominiums in municipalities such as San Juan and Guaynabo. In some cases, these drones have entered the balcony area. This is precisely what we are trying to prevent with this law, so we urge anyone who faces this type of situation to contact the police directly,” said Aponte.
Article 5 of the aforementioned Law establishes that “any person or entity that uses an unmanned aerial system to carry out surveillance of, collect evidence or information about, or photograph or electronically record, specific persons or private property, without their consent, will incur a less serious crime.”
Meanwhile, Article 6 holds that the injured party may have a civil cause of action against the person who engaged in such prohibited conduct. In addition, he or she has the right to recover from such person compensation for the damages he or she has suffered, plus attorney’s fees and additional costs incurred during such civil action.
Aerial drones began life as military-only drones, but quickly evolved into commercial and even personal use. With the prices of unmanned aerial systems dropping dramatically each year, drones are becoming more commonplace.
“Taking unauthorized photographs and/or videos using unmanned aerial systems poses the risk that such material may be published or sold without the consent of the property owners or the people depicted in them. This is neither correct nor legal, which is why the Law seeks to prevent this practice,” concluded Aponte.
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