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New Pennsylvania Law Fines People For Using Drones To Spy

Photo courtesy of Identified Technologies

 Pennsylvania will start imposing criminal penalties on people who use drones to spy on other people.

Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill Friday, and it takes effect in 60 days.

Under it, the state imposes a fine of up to $300 on someone who uses a drone to invade someone else's privacy or puts someone in fear of being physically harmed.

The law imposes a more serious penalty for someone who uses a drone to ferry contraband to an inmate in a prison. That's a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $25,000.

The law prohibits municipalities from regulating drones. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jeff Pyle of Armstrong County, says he developed the bill's wording with the Federal Aviation Administration.

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