Hillary Farber

About the talk

Recreational and commercial drones are proliferating in our society faster than lawmakers can regulate them. Just about every week there are news stories about near misses with manned aircraft landing and taking off at major airports, recreational users flying their drones over neighbor's backyards and peering into windows. 

Last year a man was charged with damaging a drone that was taking pictures of him on a beach and now faces criminal and civil liability. There are countless concerns that have arisen in the past year stemming from the use of these powerful aerial observers.

The drone industry is booming with excitement and anticipation for the day drone delivery makes a landing in the US. Meanwhile the law lags behind the technology and privacy concerns are on the minds of many lawmakers and the general public. All but one state has either passed or proposed legislation that regulates drone use, but there is no consensus on precisely where to draw the line. 

In her ARNIE Talk, Professor Farber explored the pressing issues posed by the ubiquitous presence of drones in America today. This topic is particularly relevant no matter what your field of study or profession. The proliferation of this emerging technology spans across many different disciplines such as computer science, engineering, robotics, law, journalism, criminology, public policy - just to name a few.

The existing and potential capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems was explored to gain an understanding of why the threat to privacy is so great. She discussed recent cases and controversies involving operators from a socio-legal perspective. Her presentation was a mix of powerful still images, dynamic video and live presentation.   

About the speaker

Professor Hillary Farber earned her B.A in Political Science at the University of Michigan in 1988, and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in 1992. Out of law school, she served as a public defender in New Hampshire. She then taught at several law schools including Northeastern, Suffolk University Law School, New England School of Law, and Harvard Law School.

Dr. Farber joined the faculty of the UMass School of Law as Associate Professor in 2011.  Her scholarly interests include criminal law and procedure, juvenile justice, privacy, and legal ethics, and she has published widely in each of these areas.