Drones - can nations control the spy in the sky?

US-based WinterGreen Research expects the drone market will be worth more than $16 billion by 2021. - AFP

In India, it's illegal for a civilian to use a drone. You wouldn't know that if you went to a Bollywood-style wedding.
A remote-control flying camera is the latest must-have addition at the country's opulent three-day ceremonies, said photographer Vijay Tonk, whose drone recently buzzed above the colorful throng of 300 guests at a wedding in the 18th century walled city of Jaipur.
"They want that whizzing camera flying over the venue at a height capturing shots that would otherwise be difficult to capture," said Tonk, founder of Delhi-based photography company Think Tonk, which charges Rs40,000 ($592) for the service. "Drones definitely do add to the wedding fun."
They also add to the growing concern among governments worldwide about how to deal with the millions of new, tiny aircraft that are taking to the skies every year as the cost of owning your own drone plummets. SZ DJI Technology Co, the world's biggest consumer drone maker, has seen revenue rise from nothing to an estimated $1 billion in 10 years. US-based WinterGreen Research expects the drone market will be worth more than $16 billion by 2021. "Given the size, capability and versatility of drones, the risks to national security and individual privacy are high," said Amber Dubey, head of aerospace and defense at global consultancy KPMG. "Governments should carefully strike a balance between ensuring the safety as well as not curtailing the growth of the drones and the advantages they bring."
As countries draft new rules to respond to an explosion in sales, and a series of high-profile security concerns last year, regulators are concerned about the difficulty of enforcing regulations. Three months after the US Secret Service recovered a drone on the White House grounds, Kyodo News reported in April that another was found on the roof of the Japanese prime minister's office.
The US in December required owners of consumer drones to register with the government. In the same month, Japan introduced regulations including a ban on flights without permission in built-up areas. Other nations including Australia and South Africa have introduced similar laws.
Singapore posted leaflets to households last year with guidelines that barred flights within five kilometres of airfields, or over military areas or crowds or near moving vehicles, thereby making much of the small country a no-drone zone.
As India shows, enforcing those rules may not be so easy. Rashi Grover, 25, got married in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, last February, and made sure the ceremony was shot with a drone. "Everyone really enjoyed the cameras flying around," she said. Yash Verma, who has piloted drones with cameras to shoot Indian blockbusters such as Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan, says it's common for Bollywood films to use drones to film stunts and action sequences.
"Imagine a great location, for example a massive city skyline, a huge forest or mountain location or a vast desert with convex dunes," Verma said, "A drone is a rather inexpensive option to shoot such locations beautifully." - Bloomberg