California AB 856 — Drone Paparazzi / Aerial Trespass
California · Cal. Civ. Code § 1708.8(b)
California amended its anti-paparazzi statute so the existing 'physical invasion of privacy' tort applies when someone uses a drone to enter the airspace above a person's land to capture images or recordings of personal or familial activities — closing the 'I never set foot on the property' loophole.
Technical detail
Cal. Civ. Code § 1708.8(b) amended by AB 856 (Stats. 2015, ch. 521) to include knowingly entering 'into the airspace above the land of another person without permission' to capture imagery.
Who is protected: California residents engaged in personal or familial activities on private property
Who must comply: Anyone operating a drone in California for image-capture purposes
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | California |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Status | In effect |
| Protection strength | Limited protection |
| Effective date | 2016-01-01 |
| Enacted | 2015-10-06 |
| Citation | Cal. Civ. Code § 1708.8(b) |
| Enforced by | Private civil enforcement (tort claims) |
| Private right of action | Yes — individuals can sue |
| Penalties | Statutory damages up to three times actual damages; punitive damages; disgorgement of profits |
| Topics | consumer data privacy · consumer protection |
| Last verified | 2026-06-17 |
| Official source | California Legislative Information: AB 856 (2015–2016) ↗ |
More AI rules in California
- CCPA/CPRA + ADMT Regulations · In effect
- AB 2013 (Training Data Transparency) · In effect
- SB 942 (AI Transparency Act) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- SB 53 (Frontier AI Safety) · In effect
- AB 2839 (Election Deepfakes) · Blocked / in litigation
- AB 602 (Deepfake Intimate Images) · In effect
Related consumer data privacy rules elsewhere
- TAKE IT DOWN Act · In effect
- FCRA (AI in credit & background checks) · In effect
- COPPA + 2025 Rule (childrens data) · In effect
- TCPA (AI voice calls) · In effect
- DEFIANCE Act (deepfake-porn civil suits) · Proposed / pending
- BIPA · In effect
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