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Sweden bans drones with cameras
By , Don Reisinger
Published October 27, 2016
File photo: Local police officer Agustin Mirete controls a drone equipped with a camera used for surveillance tasks in the Poniente beach at the eastern costal town of Benidorm, Spain, August 18, 2016. (REUTERS/Heino Kalis)
Part of the fun of drones is taking photos and videos while flying. But Sweden apparently does not like fun.
The country's Supreme Administrative Court has overturned a lower court decision and banned drones with cameras unless pilots obtain a "special surveillance permit," the BBC reports.
The court finds that drones with cameras are "regarded as surveillance cameras," which could violate the privacy of those below. But the head of Unammed Aerial System Sweden, an organization that represents the drone industry in the country, tells the BBC that the rules will hurt entrepreneurs and consumers.
"It is a bad decision for Sweden as an entrepreneur country and ominous for the Swedish labor market that is constantly affected by new obscure and complicated regulations from the state and its agencies," Gustav Gerdes said.
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Not to mention expensive. According to the BBC, price has not yet been announced, but permits can be expensive, and paying for one doesn't even guarantee that a permit will be granted.
Part of the appeal of drones is taking them out, flying around, and taking photos and video while aloft. Indeed, many companies, like DJI, GoPro, and Parrot, have all invested heavily in drones on the concept that they can be used as aerial photography solutions.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/tech/sweden-bans-drones-with-cameras