Drones

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36067591

A plane approaching Heathrow Airport is believed to have hit a drone before it landed safely, the Metropolitan Police has said. The British Airways flight from Geneva was hit as it approached the London airport at about 12:50 BST with 132 passengers and five crew on board. After landing, the pilot reported an object - believed to be a drone - had struck the front of the Airbus A320. Aviation police based at Heathrow have launched an investigation.

The Economist's Babbage podcast discussed the incident here http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21697197-week-we-discuss-how-keep-drones-away-manned-aircraft-and-talk 

Meanwhile, the fire season has started early in British Columbia this year. After last year's incidents with drones, the BC government and transport Canada have new regulations and penalties ($25,000 in some cases). http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/wildfires-northeast-bc-1.3542747?cmp=rss

What is clear is that regulation or even technologies built-in to the drone rely on either the good will of the operator or the the ability to catch offenders. 

That is probably too much to ask for. I wonder if it is possible to create geo-fences from the outside thus allowing for temporary situations as well as permanent ones.

BC Minister for the sharing economy

Back in January (2016) Peter Fassbender was tasked with regulating the sharing economy.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-government-sharing-economy-uber-airbnb-1.3434727

The so-called sharing economy—be it Uber or Airbnb—is firmly on the B.C. government's radar, Peter Fassbender, the minister for community, sport and culture, said Thursday.
But before he decides on what regulations—if any—the province may institute, he says he first needs to spend time hearing arguments from all sides affected.

 But curiously there is nothing on the Department's website, so what exactly is going on or how urgent any of this is .....

Regulating AirBnB in Vancouver and others

CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/airbnb-canada-agrees-on-need-for-new-regulations-and-data-sharing-1.3516407

and more
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-needs-new-bylaws-for-airbnb-crackdown-says-councillor-1.3514217

The gist ....

The City of Vancouver needs new bylaws to crack down on Airbnb listings and protect its stock of long-term rentals, says one city councillor.

Coun. Geoff Meggs says while most Airbnb listings in the city are actually illegal, existing bylaws are not effective enough to enforce a crackdown and protect the city's stock of long-term rentals.

You are not allowed to rent your home for less than 30 days unless you have a bed and breakfast business licence."

"The problem is that we have a complete mismatch between the regulatory regime and the new technology, " said Meggs.

The existing bylaw, he explains, is problematic because it is complaint-driven and requires bylaw officers to gather much more evidence than a simple online listing.As a result, many who list on online vacation rental websites are just ignoring the rules, he says.

Ultimately Meggs wants to see a new law drafted to regulate short term rentals, including those from other popular websites like VRBO, Tripping and Roomorama. Specifically, he'd like to mandate licenses for these types of rentals.

"If I go into restaurants I have an expectation that they are following the rules...and they have to show a licence to show that that is the case. And when people go into business to rent, they have to understand that there are going to be certain obligations."

Santa Monica California has regulated AirBnB ... from NPR....
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/05/13/406587575/santa-monica-cracks-down-on-airbnb-bans-vacation-rentals-under-a-month May 13, 20159:38 PM ET

Santa Monica, Calif., is cracking down on Airbnb and the rest of the short-term rental industry. Tuesday night, the Santa Monica City Council adopted its home-sharing ordinance, which bans the rental of an entire unit for less than 30 days and requires those who take part in allowable home-sharing to obtain a business license from the city and pay a 14% hotel tax. The law takes effect June 15. The city says proceeds from the hotel tax will help pay for enforcement officers and an analyst to find illegal rentals online.

.....

Santa Monica isn't the only city to push back against Airbnb and others in the short-term rental industry. We previously reported that New York's attorney general found that almost three-quarters of New York City bookings break the law, and that the state is owed $33 million in hotel taxes. An increasing number of cities across the country are starting to institute hotel taxes on Airbnb rentals. The pushback has even gone international, with Spain fining Airbnb $40,000 and threatening to block its website.

In California at least, Santa Monica's latest regulations are harsher than others. San Francisco, for instance, has allowed residential rentals of less than 30 days, with some "caveats," as the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Protecting Consumers in the digital economy - OECD

http://www.oecd.org/internet/consumer-protection-laws-need-updating-to-improve-trust-in-e-commerce.htm

30/03/2016 - Countries should modernise their consumer protection laws to address new risks posed by online commerce, including “free” apps and peer-to-peer Internet transactions, according to new OECD guidelines for member countries and emerging economies.

The OECD Recommendation on Consumer Protection in E-Commerce says people buying online are entitled to the same level of protection as with conventional transactions. It calls on governments to work with business and consumer groups to determine legal changes that could improve consumer trust in e-commerce.

In particular, it suggests consumer protection laws should cover online apps and services offered for free in exchange for gaining access to the user’s personal data.

While consumers are increasingly drawn to the convenience and choice of online commerce, concerns about privacy, payment security or legal recourse in case of a problem mean that many others remain wary. Other concerns include online product safety risks and doubts over whether consumer reviews are genuine.

While 75% of consumers in OECD countries access the Internet each day, a recent OECD report found that only one person in two made an online purchase in 2014. Those who did not cited security and privacy concerns as the main reasons holding them back.

OECD Report.

http://www.oecd.org/sti/consumer/ECommerce-Recommendation-2016.pdf