Drone Privacy Rules in Sri Lanka

Among the operating conditions CAASL publishes for drone flights is an explicit privacy rule: do not take photographs, videos or sound recordings of people without their permission, and respect people's privacy, civil rights and civil liberties. This applies to recreational and commercial operators alike, and it sits alongside the general prohibition on overflying people.

For travel and content creation, the workable approach is straightforward. Ask before filming identifiable people at close range. Avoid hovering over homes, gardens and hotel pools. Treat religious sites and ceremonies with particular restraint; many temples prohibit drone use entirely, and filming worshippers without consent is both a privacy issue and a cultural one.

When flying from or over private land, obtain the landowner's permission. A CAASL approval covers the aviation side of a flight; it does not grant access to land or override the rights of the people below the flight path.

If footage will be used commercially, consent becomes more important, not less. Identifiable people, private properties and branded premises in commercial footage can create legal exposure beyond aviation rules. Productions filming in Sri Lanka should combine CAASL approval with location releases and, where relevant, permissions from site authorities such as the Department of Archaeology for heritage locations.