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Drones to Help Locate Missing People Despite Sweden's Draconian Law

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Missing People Sweden has applied for a license to use camera equipped-drones to locate missing persons. This application has re-kindled a debate in the Nordic country, which last year notoriously restricted the use of drones by equating drone photography with surveillance.

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Last fall, Sweden's Supreme Administrative Court ruled that drones fitted with cameras should be legally regarded as surveillance, thus obliging drone users to apply for a license in order to use the equipment and spurring outrage across the country. With the "drone amendment" coming into force in August, exasperated Swedish drone operators have been applying for permits. Like its peers, Missing People Sweden has applied for a license that applies to the whole of Sweden.

Maria Sharma of Missing People Sweden called drones a "very important" tool that allows missing people to be quickly located in areas with difficult or dangerous terrain, especially in sparsely-populated northern Sweden, with its harsh climate, long distances and abundance of wild animals.

"Sometimes hours may be critical," Maria Sharma told Swedish Radio.

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Stefan Haggö, director of Missing People in Blekinge County, called drones time-savers and considers them an excellent replacement for personnel and search dogs in inaccessible terrain.

Missing People Sweden is a nonprofit organization that helps families and police with search parties for missing persons. The organization was founded in Gothenburg in 2012 after several people had gathered to help the search of two missing Swedes.

Previously, industry organization UAS Sweden estimated that Sweden's "anti-drone" law would make at least 3,000 people unemployed.

"The decision means a substantial destruction of capital. Many of our members have invested large amounts of money in the purchase of new drones, and seeking permission can involve millions of kroner in losses, UAS Sweden Chairman Gustav Gerdes said in a comment to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

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Earlier, Sweden's controversial decision to suppress drone surveillance led to an involuntary break in many organizations' activity. For instance, it was not until late January that Swedish Confederation of Housing Associations (Riksbyggen), which is a major actor in the housing industry, received permission to resume the use of drones to inspect roofs and facades, which has been underway since 2015.

"Notification that we can resume the use of drones is very gratifying. By using drones in roof and facade inspections, we create benefits for our customers and a safe working environment for our employees," Göran Danling of Riksbyggen said, as quoted by the Swedish construction industry newspaper Byggvärlden.

However, there have been less happy endings. For instance, the Swedish municipality of Höganäs was refused permission to shoot aerial views of its real estate in a bit to "protect people's privacy." This decision was called "stupid" by Jonas Kanje, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Helsinborgs Dagblad, who ventured that Sweden's long-standing tradition of openness was at stake due to "cumbersome restrictions."

 

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