German politicians are exploring how to regulate miniature camera drones as a data protection risk

They fly, take pictures, can be operated remotely and even come with an auto-pilot feature to land safely in case their owner gets distracted.

The flying miniature drones are marketed as the AR.Drone by wireless device manufacturer Parrot and have been available in German electronics stores since summer 2010.

But some German politicians are concerned about privacy issues relating to the toys priced at 299 euros ($393) and steered by devices like the iPhone and iPad.

“Even just by using the small, helicopter-like hobby models, people can quickly go beyond the limits of the law,” said Ilse Aigner, Germany’s consumer affairs minister, in an interview with the Deutsche Presse Agentur.

For example, if hobbyists or children fly the AR.Drone onto neighbors’ property and capture images of them in their home without their permission, the photographs could already stand in violation of data privacy laws.

Will mini anti-drone techniques (nets, missiles, lines) soon become available? What about intercepting and taking over the control channel for the drone? Will it be illegal to commandeer another person’s drone if it is over your property?