FAA Builds a Privacy File Cabinet for Beyond-Sight Drone Flights
Published Date: 11/3/2026
Notice
Summary
The FAA is starting a new system to collect info from drone operators, manufacturers, and data providers involved in flying drones beyond what they can see. This helps keep the skies safe and organized in the U.S. If you’re involved, you can comment by December 3, 2026, and the new rules kick in right away with some parts effective December 3. No big costs are mentioned, just smarter data handling for drone flights.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
Records may be shared for enforcement, security, and vetting
The FAA may disclose records from this system to law enforcement, the NTSB, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), other government agencies for investigations, and to support security threat assessments and vetting of individuals and operators. Records may also be disclosed in hiring, retention, licensing, grant, or benefit decisions by other agencies, and the FAA may provide information to the Attorney General related to firearm disqualifications under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act.
FAA will collect personal and aircraft data
If you act as or represent a drone operator, manufacturer, or Automated Data Service Provider (ADSP) applying for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) authorizations, the FAA will collect personal contact information (name, physical address, email, telephone), application IDs, permit/certificate numbers, and UAS serial and registration numbers. For a small subset of operators who perform package delivery, the FAA will collect citizenship documents (for example, birth certificate, passport, or naturalization documents) that may include date of birth, parents' names, passport numbers, marital status, and a photograph.
Public posting of waivers and ADSP certifications
The FAA will publicly post part 108 waiver applications and decisions and will share individual or business names (but not email addresses or telephone numbers). For part 146, the FAA will maintain a public web page showing each certified ADSP's name and the service type and category for each authorized service. The routine uses for public disclosure become effective December 3, 2026.
Data storage location and permanent retention until NARA approval
The FAA will store these records electronically in the FAA Cloud Services Amazon Web Services (FCS AWS) East West Public Cloud, and it will treat all records in this system as permanent until records retention schedules are approved by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which the FAA plans to submit by the latter part of fiscal year 2027.
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